TALKS TO STUDENTS — Mark “Hollywood” Jones talked to the children at Houlton Elementary School about striving for good grades, along with the dangers of drugs and bullying.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
The Harlem Superstars have visited the Houlton area for several years, but for the youngster who has never seen the show, it’s all fresh and exciting through that child’s eyes.
The Superstars were in town doing a fundraiser for Houlton High School’s senior class.
“All six of us who play, we are just a bunch of big kids ourselves,” said Steve “Surfer Boy” Faulkner. “It’s fun to let it out a bit when playing with the kids.”
Every child was able to come to the floor and dance with the Superstars and interact with them in a fun way, while the Superstars themselves went into the crowd with some antics of their own.
“There’s a lot of comedy,” said Surfer Boy. “A lot of people laughing. A lot of slam dunks. A lot of 3-pointers, along with nice passing and dribbling. It’s a flashy, fun game.”
Throughout the game, the Superstars would pull pranks — like hiking up Houlton senior Ian Bauersfeld’s shorts so he looked like Steve Urkle from Family Matters — to having Houlton senior Doug Dickison pull down Super Chicken’s shorts on the free throw line … but, Super Chicken avenged the act later by giving Dickison’s shorts a tug, which was met with lots of laughter.
From the big to the small, everyone appeared to be having a blast.
“We have some good times,” said Surfer Boy. “We try changing things up with a few new costumes for Super Chicken to a few more new dunks and skits. We have to make it different each year.”
However, one part of the show that has not been modified is Ricky “7 Footer” Lopes lifting a child up to the basket for a dunk and then celebrating the “victory.”
For Dawson Raymond, that was a highlight of the show. Lopes hoisted him up, he threw the ball down, the crowd cheered and Lopes celebrated with holding up his finger to display a number one, while Dawson sat on his right shoulder with a huge smile.
Asked if being that high was scary, Raymond said, “No. It was awesome.”
Also working the show was little Waylon Davis, who “was a handful” for Super Chicken. Davis, who is under 5, tested Super Chicken’s patience when doing a game called “You are Out,” as he wanted to run the court and not stay put, to aiding him in a stunt of spinning the ball, as Super Chicken cradled him between his legs so he wouldn’t escape. But when face to face, Super Chicken always had a smile for Waylon.
Last Friday, the Superstars started their message of doing well in school, saying ‘no’ to drugs and not bullying to students at Houlton Elementary and Southside schools.
“To become a Division I basketball player, the first thing I needed to work on was my grades,” said Mark “Hollywood” Jones, who went to Dayton University.
Hollywood encouraged the children to “do your homework” and to get extra help if they were struggling to become better students.
“There is nothing you can’t do in this world,” he said. “You need your education. Whatever you might want to be when you grow up – doctor, lawyer or whatever – it all starts off with school.”
The next topic is a growing concern … bullying.
“The Harlem Superstars are here to tell you it is not nice, fun or polite to bully another person because of the way they look, dress or the color of their hair,” Hollywood explained. “It is very easy to go up to someone and be polite.”
Hollywood told the children if they saw a person sitting alone in the lunch room to go up to the person and talk to him or her.
“You never know with one another what you might have in common with each other,” he said. “They may not look the same as you, but you never know what you can have in common.”
Hollywood also warned the children about writing on the Internet and the consequences it could have.
Finally, Hollywood asked the children if someone tries to offer you drugs, what do you say? The children responded with a resounding “No.”
In a post interview, Surfer Boy added that “it is good to have someone to look up to, a role model, not only do they do well on the court, but they came to the school with a good message.”
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| URKLE — Kevin “Showboat” Jackson hauls up Ian Bauersfeld’s shorts to help him on the free throw line during last Friday’s fundraiser at Houlton High School. The Houlton Senior Dream Team faced off against the Harlem Superstars. | Doug Dickison has second thoughts on challenging Ricky “7 Footer” Lopes. |
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| Slick lets the announcer know he has his man … Joshua Bragan. | Super Chicken “scratches” the music off Alan Duff and Craig Fournier’s heads. |
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| Surfer Boy dances alongside Michael Beaton and other children. | Waylon Davis gives Showboat a high five |
