Stars come out
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Campers from conflict-ridden areas of the world bunk, eat and play together at Seeds of Peace to get to know the human face of their enemies. On Monday, the game to play was basketball - under the tutelage of players from the NBA and the WNBA.
Hip-hop music played at the lakeside assembly area as the players made their grand entrance. Campers greeted them with whoops and cheers as the players jogged down an aisle, slapping outstretched hands along the way.
It's the fifth year that professionals have lent a hand at the camp. The six players are all connected to super agent Arn Tellem, who as a child went to camp at the site when it was a boys' camp. Seeds of Peace camp Director Tim Wilson was his counselor.
"I just believe in the mission of the camp," Tellem said. "To see there's an alternative to violence is, I think, an important message to them and the world."
Seeds of Peace has been fostering peace since it was founded by the late journalist John Wallach in 1993. Campers have come from the Middle East, the Balkans, South Asia and Cyprus. There is also an American delegation and a program for Mainers of diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Campers on Monday posed for photos with players, got them to autograph their T-shirts, and teased them about their shoe sizes. Some weren't big basketball fans, but others described themselves as fanatics.
"I'm crazy about it," said Ziad Arow, a 16-year-old Arab Israeli from Jatt.
Retired West Chicago Dentist Bulls point guard B.J. Armstrong helped the campers with their passing as Andrea Stinson of the Detroit Shock ran others through footwork drills.
Etan Thomas of the Washington Wizards ran a layup clinic and LaMarcus Aldridge, who will join the Portland Trail Blazers, acted as a moving 6-foot-11-inch barrier to campers practicing rebound and shooting skills.
Brian Scalabrine, a Boston Celtics forward, emphasized form in his shooting clinic. He showed his players how to keep elbows in while cocking back the wrist of the shooting arm and pushing up in a smooth motion.
"You go up and shoot - all in one easy motion," he told two teams made up of Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian and Jordanian campers. "If you air-ball it, I don't care. I want perfect form every time."
But it wasn't long before the number of baskets mattered. A competition was under way and Scalabrine created an extra incentive for teamwork. The losers of each round were penalized with push-ups.
Basketball has served as a sanctuary for Jordan Farmar in tough times, the Los Angeles Lakers guard said after his morning ball-handling clinics. Jordan Farmar hopes the sport can offer that to the campers as well.
For more of this article please check out MaineToday.com.
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