ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, July 22, 1996 TAG: 9607220107
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTOPHER L. BOYD STAFF WRITER
BASKETBALL, SWIMMING and a little life lesson were part of this regularly held event that took place Friday night through Saturday morning.
Amid gasps of boredom and "nothing to do," Roanoke Valley middle school and high school students did something Friday night besides hanging out at the mall.
At 9 p.m., Booker T. Washington Gym was filled with more than 100 middle school and high school students participating in the YMCA Family Center's fifth lock-in of the year. By 6 a.m., the pace was a little slower, but basketballs were still bouncing on the court and students were still hopping on the dance floor. Although a few participants were trying to sleep while the booming music was playing, it was not enough to kill that pesky perspiration bug that seemed to circulate with each bodily motion.
The YMCA Family Center sponsors the lock-ins as an alternative for Roanoke Valley school children who don't have much to do. The event allows children to participate in a night full of activities with their friends, in a structured environment monitored by adults. This lock-in was for middle and high school students; a separate one is held for elementary school children.
"It's hot," said one participant.
"It's not hot, you've just been talking too much," said another.
It was hot all night as students trickled from the Washington gym to the Washington Park Pool, and then to the All-Star Lanes bowling alley on Melrose Avenue Northwest like hot potatoes, holding contests with one another to see who could bowl the fastest without using the finger guides. It didn't matter how many pins they knocked down or whether they bowled a gutter ball, the game was just about speed.
The young swimmers even got into the competition.
"Let's see who can dive off the board the farthest," said one middle school swimmer to a pack of his buddies. The lifeguard slowed that game down, however, when she shouted, "Only take one bounce, and wait until the diver is safely to the side before the next person jumps in!"
The youngsters heeded the instructions and continually reminded each other of the rules. "Man, she told you only one person can jump off at once," said a student. "I know! I was just testing the board," said the other.
Roanoke school buses were on hand to transport the students to each site. The final area where most of the late activities were held was the old Jefferson High School Gym.
Most of the young men came to the gym prepared to sweat. They knew after having come to previous lock-ins that this was an opportunity to see who had developed a new basketball-dunking style since the last lock-in. A volunteer chaperone herded the players into organized squads, and the games began. One team seemed to dominate most of the night, until it was almost time to eat. They had played together before, and they knew what it took to help the team win.
Several high school girls came to battle with the boys on the basketball court. Armed with a grocery bag filled with tennis shoes and sweat clothes, the young ladies invaded the women's bathroom, and came out fired up and ready to take on any boy who stood in their way. Once they got on the court however, they had to convince the boys to let them play, so the girls took the basketball. Apparently, the girls' persistence won out. They played four players to a team, and the girls had the ball most of the time.
Aspiring rappers had an opportunity to show off their talents in front of their peers for a short while before the dance. A crowd below the platform where the rappers were standing praised these masterminds, whose spontaneous lyrics could easily be mistaken for those of well-rehearsed professionals.
Many of the students at the lock-in said they would have been in the park playing basketball until 1 a.m., at someone's house party, or asleep if they had not come to the lock-in. YMCA Program Director Millard Bolding said this was a place where students could find wholesome recreation.
"Their only [other] outlet is hanging out at the mall," he said.
The William Fleming High School football program co-sponsored the lock-in. Bolding said this was the first of many partnerships he hopes to develop with athletic programs in area schools. He said during a motivational speech to the students that when he was in high school it was an honor to run track or play football for the varsity team, but that teens today don't get involved in their schools like they used to.
He hopes that the co-sponsorship will encourage more youths to sign up and participate, because he believes athletics teach life lessons and build confidence.
The next lock-in is planned for Aug. 23 with similar activities based on suggestions from students.
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY/Staff. 1. A participant in the YMCA Familyby CNBCenter lock-in for teens jumps off the diving board Friday night at
the Washington Park Pool. 2. YMCA Program Director Millard Bolding
talks to kids at the lock-in at midnight Friday. The event continued
until 6 a.m. Saturday. color.