2009 Community Poetry Slam: A Smashing Success!

This Friday saw America SCORES Chicago’s largest Poetry Slam to date. The culminating event for the Fall season featured over 400 poet-athletes performing their original team and individual poetry which they had been working on all season long.

Poet-athletes and their coaches bustled in to Pope Elementary just in time to hear a pep-talk from Coach Amy Mummery, Education Director of America SCORES Chicago and grab a bite of pizza before they made their big stage debut, slamming about Thanksgiving, peace and war, what makes a strong team, and even getting hung up by their underpants by the school bully.

The event ended by announcing the schools and individuals to perform at the Red Carpet Poetry Slam in January. Next year’s performers are the Boys and Girls teams from Washington Irving Elementary, the Middle School Girls team from Chalmers Elementary, Stecy M., Keara M., Shayanna L., Shaquita Y., Karneil S., LeCalvion K., Edgar A., and James H.

And finally, the moment they had all been waiting for: who would win the prestigious, coveted Golden Ball Award? Could it be Chalmers- the comeback kids? Could it be Corkery- respect and cooperate are what they do best! Could it be Pope- the hosts with the most? It was Washington Irving taking home the Golden Ball for the second time in a row, and Castellanos with the Middle School Golden Ball Award.

While some of the Chicago poet-athletes may have been disappointed about not receiving the Golden Ball Award, everyone went home that night feeling proud and accomplished.