CHICAGO (CBS) — After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, everyone needs a break, right? The ham is gone. The presents have been opened. So what do you do now? One Southwest Side tradition helps kids burn off some steam.
The holiday hustle and bustle can be exhausting for a child, but that’s a good thing when Grandma needs a break.
Karen Clancy enjoys resting on the sidelines while her three grandchildren – Blake, Rielyn and Evelynn – play in the 19th Ward Dodgeball Tournament in Mount Greenwood.
‘That’s for children! Not for meemaw,” she said. “They’re literally having a great time, and they went to bed early last night. I was sick of them.”
The game comes naturally to seven-year-old Blake.
“Basically you throw the ball, and if someone catches it, you lose; but if you hit it, he loses,” he said.
It may sound simple, but Evelynn knows it takes practice and courage.
“It’s really hard to do it,” she said. “Every time my dad says, ‘You’re one tough cookie.'”
Children from more than twenty schools in the 19th Ward participate in the dodgeball tournament every year.
“It just reinforces what a great community we have when kids from all walks of life come together; it gives them the opportunity to engage in safe, healthy activities,” said Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th).
Now that the children are not going to school during the holidays, this is an opportunity for parents to relax and children to release a lot of energy.
“To get the kids off video games, away from the TV, and being able to play with their friends and meet new friends,” Clancy said.
The children can run and grandma gets running commentary.
“Blake is on the other team. He has the green ball he just threw. He didn’t hit anyone. He’s running back now. Rielyn is sitting here in the backfield waiting for a ball. Evelynn now goes for a green ball. Oh, her brother took the ball away from her, but they’re still in it,” Clancy said.
This dodgeball tournament has been a holiday hit for 15 years.
“They really enjoy this game,” Clancy said.
