Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 18, 1994 TAG: 9403180138
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Just ask Travis Stokes, a guard with the Roanoke youth league's Hornets. Travis, 6, took that tricolored ball and put it around his back and between his legs.
Members of the Harlem Globetrotters and a group of his peers clapped and cheered.
For 68 years, the Globetrotters have toured the world. While the team roster - and the state of society - have changed, their message remains the same.
"The biggest game in life is off the court," Globetrotter Billy Ray Hobley told kids attending a special clinic at the Salem Civic Center on Thursday night.
The clinic, held before the Globetrotters' 7:30 p.m. game with the Washington Generals, was sponsored by the Globetrotters and the United Way of the Roanoke Valley. The Globetrotters have formed a partnership with the United Way nationally "to help children across America score a slam dunk in life," according to a news release about the program.
Hobley, a Globetrotter for 15 years, and two of his teammates - Elbert "Tree" Gordon and Reggie "Percolator" Perkins - talked to the children about discipline, sportsmanship, drugs and the importance of an education. "Defend yourself with knowledge, and not a gun," Hobley said.
Travis said the clinic taught him "not to take drugs" and to find role models in the home. He then mentioned that some guy named Jordan is his favorite player.
"They taught me to use knowledge and not your fists," said Adam Lunnie, who learned a couple of tricks of the Globetrotters' trade from Hobley.
Travis' dad, Thomas Stokes, said the clinic is a "great thing to do for the kids." Stokes is youth coordinator for the Roanoke Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross - one of several United Way-funded organizations that brought children to the clinic.
The United Way's Linda Holsinger helped organize the clinic.
"Kids today face a lot of challenges," she said. "And things that happen when you're young have a big impact on the rest of your life. The Globetrotters reinforce that."
by CNB