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Publisher Letter
FROM MELTING HEARTS TO MELTING SNOW,
IN THIS VALENTINE’S DAY ISSUE, We cover everything from heartbeats to beet juice. As we thaw from the recent cold weather, we look ahead to the month of February. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we put the spotlight on relationships. Columnists Dan Meyer and Jim Fannin take us through the phases of love, and remind us of the small things we can do so that Valentine’s Day may be enjoyed 365 days a year. Because of his love for country and its history, Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub drove to 50 capitols in 50 days before I first met him over coffee in December 2012. He told me that he visited all 50 capitols, reciting the Gettysburg Address at each capitol. Mickey actually accomplished his goal in 44 days, and is the first person known to have done this. Mickey was also looking for examples of God, liberty and Abraham Lincoln at each capitol. You will discover his findings in this issue. The recent snow and frigid cold is still on the minds of many, and in our Science pages, you will read how the Morton Arboretum in Lisle has been using an innovative and environmentally-conscious method to remove snow and ice: beet juice. Who would have thought! You will read how by mixing this dark brown liquid with rock salt, the arboretum has reduced rock salt usage by about 75 percent since 2008, while developing a mixture that is more effective under lower temperatures. Also in Science, you will read how Madison Elementary students explored with science when the Northern Illinois University STEM Outreach program came to their school. In this article, Print Managing Editor Mike Ellis tells how Madison students split up into two rooms, viewing a number of exhibits and experiments designed to spark their interest before trying their own
experiments for the Science Fair on Feb. 27. The Hinsdale auxiliary of Children’s Home + Aid has been serving the Chicago-based non-profit organization for about 60 years. Each year, the auxiliary holds two events, Derby Day and the Sherry Party, each of which serves as a fundraiser for Children’s Home + Aid. It is a relatively small group compared to some other local charities and organizations, but size has not prevented the auxiliary from doing years of tremendous good to help some of the most severely abused and neglected children in Illinois. Hinsdale Central senior Nick Leahy will host a fashion show called “Darkpop” at the Community House on April 25. Nick has designed three collections, and has been accepted into several prestigious design schools, finding his niche in the arts at Hinsdale Central. In Sports, Hinsdale Central Boys Basketball placed sixth at the prestigious Proviso West Holiday Tournament over the holidays. The Red Devils won four of five games, including a thrilling win at the buzzer over Homewood-Flossmoor. Their only loss was a one-point defeat to St. Joseph, one of the top teams in the state. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, our Wandering Gourmet Robert Damien takes you to Nabuki in Hinsdale. Find out what this former chef from Japan thinks of our local dining gem. Finally, check out the 2014 Event Preview so that you can save the dates on your community calendar. We will also update and add many more events at Hinsdale60521.com so please visit often and continue sending us your comments and suggestions.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Scott Jonlich, Founder & Publisher Hinsdale Magazine, Inc. sjonlich@hinsdale60521.com 4 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 5
8
CONTENTS
FEBRUARY 2014 16
Founder & Publisher
8 Inside 60527
Scott Jonlich
50 Capitols in 50 Days
Print Managing Editor
16 The Phases of Love
Mike Ellis
Hinsdale Magazine columnist Dan Meyer explores the various types of love
Columnists
22 Event Preview
Errol Janusz Dan Meyer Jim Fannin Robert Damien
10 great local events
28 Hinsdale Woman
Hinsdale Auxiliary of Children’s Home + Aid
Photographer & Design
Marcello Rodarte
32 Science
Feature Photographer
Enriching experiments Beet juice for snow treatment
28
Karen Hood
Graphic Artists
36 Fashion
Hinsdale Central senior prepares to host fashion show
Cheryl Chrzanowski Julia Sinogeikina
40 Restaurant Review
Advertising Sales
Nabuki: Where Japanese tradition meets Latin flair
Doug Pint Renee Lawrence
42 The “90 second-rule”
36
A Valentine’s Day gift
46 Sports
3v3 Soccer Hinsdale Central Boys Basketball
50 Tech Know
All of your credit cards in one Coin
40
46
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38 Blaine Street | Downtown Hinsdale, IL 60521 phone: 630-655-3400 I fax: 630-622-1300 e-mail: news@Hinsdale60521.com The advertisements, photographs, logos, and any other content inside this publication are not the opinions of Hinsdale Magazine, Inc., unless specified. This magazine may not be reproduced in any way, including ads designed by our graphic staff, and remain the property of Hinsdale Magazine, Inc. | www.hinsdale60521.com 6 Hinsdale Magazine
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Inside 60527
Last fall, Mickey Straub was elected mayor of Burr Ridge. But what he did the previous fall was an even more impressive accomplishment.
8 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
W by mike ellis
e all set goals for what we w o u l d like to accomplish in life. Some are fleeting and quickly abandoned; others pass by so rapidly we barely stop to acknowledge their fulfillment. Then there are those ambitious things we plan to do that always seem far from happening— and in many cases, we never actually undertake them. In the fall of 2012, Mickey Straub of Burr Ridge, now mayor of the same town, set out to become the first man to recite the Gettysburg Address at all 50 U.S. capitols—on a road-trip that would last 50 days. Straub said he was seeking to answer the question of whether God and Abraham Lincoln are still present in America.—Oftentimes he found his questions were answered in unexpected places.
Before the Journey The youngest of six, Mickey Straub grew up in Pennsylvania, the state in which President Lincoln recited the Gettysburg Address. “I’ve always been a die-hard patriot,” Straub said. “I’ve always felt a great attachment to Abraham Lincoln, because of the Gettysburg Address.” After college, Straub worked in the Department of Defense in Washington,
Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub at his office
D.C., and later in Los Angeles. He said it was while working for the federal government that his patriotism probably “flourished.” “When I lived in Washington, D.C., I used to love to go down to the capitol building and sit down on the Lincoln steps and visit the Lincoln Memorial,” Straub said. He then switched gears, entered the insurance industry, and was transferred to Chicago 30 years ago in 1983. About a decade later, Straub started his own company, Sales Activity Management (SAM), which helps businesses achieve their goals through an empowering concept he calls “activity management.” Little did he know that he would use the same goal-oriented approach he exhorts major insurance companies to employ on his circuit around the nation years later. Over the past few years, Straub said his interest in Lincoln grew, as he received a number of photos and books from a library in his home state, Pennsylvania. He now owns an extensive collection of Lincoln books and memorabilia, on display both at his SAM office and at his mayoral office at village hall. But Straub said his initial idea of visiting all 50 state capitols did not involve reciting the Gettysburg Address or Lincoln at all. “When I thought about this trip, doing the 50 capitols, my original thought was to take my daughter on the trip, and go to visit every capitol over an extended period of time,” he said. “Three years
Photo by Marcello Rodarte
before I left, I had this idea that would coincide with my goal-setting philosophy to set big goals in short deadlines. So, I thought of 50 capitols in 50 days, and I bought that Web site.” At this juncture, Straub had developed a concept, but had yet to develop anything specific to “do” at the capitol buildings themselves. About 18 months later, Straub visited the Illinois capitol in Springfield. Inside, he approached two men seated at the tour desk, and asked, “I know this is kind of a strange question, but can you tell me if God is still in the capitol?” “I also wanted to find out if America still believed in freedom,” Straub said. “Lincoln really personified his strong belief in freedom, towards the Union, and his belief in God. During his presidency, he quoted Scripture more than any president probably before or since. “I thought, ‘If I go in the spirit of Lincoln, I wouldn’t offend anybody, and I’d help unify people, because everybody loves Lincoln’—at least, so I thought.” His objectives becoming clearer, Straub prepared to embark on what you might call a personal fact-finding mission that would take him across America in 50 days. “I was kind of on a treasure hunt,” he said. “I wanted to take pictures of anything that referenced God, liberty or Lincoln. “It was all really for love of country. I wanted to it for the veterans, because in - Continued on the next page www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 9
Mickey Straub | Hinsdale Magazine - Continued from the previous page
the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln reminded us that, ‘These dead shall not die in vain.’ So, if we as a country lost our love of liberty and freedom, the dead would have died in vain.”
Northeastern trials Straub left Burr Ridge and arrived in Gettysburg, Pa.—a fitting starting-point for his national tour—on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012. Spending the next two nights in Gettysburg, he departed from the home of David Wills—the site at which Lincoln completed the Gettysburg Address a century and a half ago—on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 4. His vehicle of choice was an apropos 1997 Lincoln Town Car, which he had purchased out of Madison, Ala., especially for this purpose. “I didn’t want to make it silly,” Straub said. “I thought about doing pushups at every capitol, but that wasn’t very significant. “The Gettysburg Address I think contains within it the secret to our country’s future. It helped unify our country 150 years ago. I wanted to subtly promote our founding principles through Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address.” Determined to make his journey as a “common man” by driving most of the trip instead of flying, the modernday de Tocqueville excitedly left a host of family and friends in Gettysburg for Harrisburg, the site of the first capitol on his tour. Straub said he only planned between one-third and one-half of the ambitious, 14,000-plus mile trip in advance, acknowledging that he vastly underestimated the difficulty of his undertaking. “When I left for Pennsylvania, I thought it was all smooth sailing and would be easy,” he said. “This trip was the toughest thing I’ve ever done in my life. “I had practiced what happened inside the capitols, but I never practiced what happened between capitols,—and that was a big flaw.” What made the initial portion of the trip especially difficult is that no capitols in the Northeast are open on weekends, and Straub departed from Gettysburg the Tuesday after Labor Day. Therefore, he had to visit ten capitols in just four days—that is, three capitols on two days, and two on the other two. It takes about five hours to drive from Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, Albany, the capital of New York, so 10 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
Straub said he had to hurry just to make it to the second capitol on his journey before it closed. “I got to New York, and it was 4 p.m.; and the personnel stops working at 4 p.m., so the place was kind of empty,” he said. “I went from all kinds of people, surrounded by friends and family, to being alone.” At 7 p.m. that evening, Straub left for Vermont in a driving rainstorm. He missed a turn at Lake George, and beset by the circumstances, was beginning to second-guess his trip. “I wanted to quit on the second day of the trip,” Straub said. “I was 30 miles out of the way in a rainstorm, and my windshield wipers stopped working. “I woke up the next morning and said, ‘What am I doing this for?’ I just risked my life last night—I almost killed myself—, I was tired, I was getting lonely, and I was already wondering why I was doing this.” Straub said he realized he would have to use his own goal-setting techniques in order to succeed on the journey. “Even though I preach and profess being efficient and organized, I had gotten into bad habits myself,” he said. “That was very humbling.” In Montpelier, Vt., Straub was reinvigorated by a woman named Michelle Bean from the Secretary of State’s office, as well as Rep. Warren Kitzmiller, D-Vt., who recited the Gettysburg Address with him at the capitol. “They pumped me up, and gave me the energy to keep going,” he said, reminiscing over the first of many “capitol angels” that assisted him along the way. From Vermont, Straub still had to traverse through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware by the end of the day Friday. He said he initially intended to fly home for a wedding back in Burr Ridge that weekend, but decided to change his plans once he knew the demands his journey entailed.
Getting acclimated After the frenetic northeastern portion of his trip, the pace began to slow down a bit in Annapolis, Md., which Straub described as a “turning point.”
“Maryland was definitely a turning point, because I knew I got through the first week, and I had ten capitols under my belt,” he said. “I knew about what it would take, but I still didn’t quite have it down-pat yet.” Reaching the Southern states, he said he was uncomfortable reciting the address here, as there was no trace of Lincoln to be found. “It was very uncomfortable reciting the Gettysburg Address in Annapolis, Md., because I couldn’t find any reference to Lincoln in Maryland or Delaware,” Straub said. “I was thinking, ‘This is a southern state;—were they for Lincoln or against Lincoln?’” In Annapolis, Straub met a first-year Naval Academy student in a white sailor’s uniform, who he said provided useful advice that helped him moving forward. “Here I was, a relatively successful businessman, a mature adult, and I was asking a freshman in college for advice,” Straub said. Entering the Deep South, he was joined by Chris Faron, a fellow parishioner at St. Isaac Jogues in Hinsdale, in North Carolina. Straub said he did not realize - Continued on page 12
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Mickey Straub | Hinsdale Magazine - Continued from page 10
how helpful Faron would be until he arrived. His companion showed him how to organize photo albums of the trip on his iPad, post updates to social media, while making the long, 432-mile drive from Baton Rouge, La., to Austin, Tx. Proceeding from Texas to Oklahoma City, Straub concluded the first leg of his tour of America there, having visited 22 of 50 capitols. At this time, he briefly flew home to spend some time with his family. “I never wanted to go on the trip and lose contact with my family,” he said.
Resuming the journey After flying back to Oklahoma City, Straub returned to the road, following Interstate 40 into Arkansas and Tennessee, before proceeding to Kentucky and West Virginia. While in Tennessee, he stopped at the famous Graceland in Memphis. The state capitol down the road in Nashville being closed for renovations, Straub was unable to go inside—one of two capitols he did not enter during his journey. Pivoting in Charleston, W.V., he turned westward from Ohio all the way to California, stopping to return home one night between his visits to the Michigan and Indiana capitols. When he reached Denver, Straub said he was exhausted. Since resuming his trip from Oklahoma City, he had visited 12 capitols in 12 states without a reprieve. To compound matters, he was also entering serious altitude for the first time on the trip. Once again, Straub said he was visited by “capitol angels” at a most exigent hour. “I woke up; I felt like I was paralyzed,” he said. “Before I left the bed, I prayed that God would give me the courage and strength to carry on. “I dragged myself out of bed, got myself [to the capitol] by 8 in the morning.” At the capitol, Straub met Marisela, a maintenance staff member who directed
him to the Lincoln statue, as well as an Idaho pastor who supplied him with a remarkable blessing. “She said, ‘I want you to know that God will give you the courage and strength to carry on.’ Call it coincidence, call it serendipity, call it divine intervention— I’m not sure what to call it to this day—, but the very two things I prayed for that morning, she told me that I would be given.” Feeling reenergized after leaving Denver, Straub swung down to New Mexico and Arizona, before returning northward to Salt Lake City, where he met up with fellow Burr Ridge resident Dick Coan. “When Mickey decided to do the trip, I said to him, ‘I’ll be glad to help you however I can,’” Coan said. Coan assisted Straub by driving, which helped the latter get some much-needed rest. “I kind of questioned—why am I going to do this?” Coan said. “But it was an amazing trip. He’d walk around the capitol buildings, and he would talk to people. He was very well-received. Even when we drove around and stopped for gas, he would share [his story] at small gas stations in the middle of nowhere.” Coan remained with Straub until they arrived in Sacramento, Calif., passing through Boise, Idaho, and Carson City, Nevada, beforehand. At this time, Straub took to the skies again to reach Hawaii’s capital, Honolulu, in the middle of the Pacific. He had been giving out five-dollar bills, (which bear Lincoln’s likeness on the front,) throughout the trip to people who provided him with exceptional service or stuck out for their kindness. Coming across a homeless man in Honolulu, he extended the same offer; but the man surprisingly turned him down. “He refused it, and he said that there were other people who needed it more
Summing it all up Concluding his national tour in Springfield, Straub had visited all 50 states in the Union (including Hawaii and Alaska), racked up over 14,000 miles in his 1997 Lincoln Town Car, and spent the night at 33 different hotels. The trip originally planned for 50 days actually took only 44.—And Straub even had time for two brief flights home. He exhausted about 650 gallons of gas, stopping 43 times, and spent a considerable amount of time at Starbucks, Subway and Shell. His records indicate 45 God, 27 Lincoln and 50 liberty “sightings”—the last of which can be attributed to the little-known fact that 48 state capitols have Liberty Bell replicas on site, which were placed courtesy of the U.S. Department of Treasury in 1950. He said Lincoln was generally beloved by those he encountered—with the exception of a man he met in Little Rock, Ark., who in the spirit of obstinacy called him a “carpetbagger.” Straub said on the whole, the trip helped - Continued on page 14
Photos courte
sy of Mickey Str
12 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
than he does,” Straub said. “I was shocked by that [encounter].” Flying back to the contiguous states after spending the night in Hawaii, Straub darted northward for the Pacific Northwest before heading back towards Springfield—the final destination on his month-and-a-half-long journey. The North Dakota state capitol in Bismarck proved to be the second he could not enter, as Straub discovered the building was not open on weekends during the fall. But he did learn a great deal about the state from the archives director, who also recited the Gettysburg Address with him. In Madison, Wis., the penultimate stop, Straub was joined by members of Gov. Scott Walker’s staff; together, they all read the address on the capitol steps.
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Mickey Straub | Hinsdale Magazine - Continued from page 12
him put things in perspective and get his priorities straight. “The one thing that changed me forever was something I realized coming across between Wisconsin and Illinois—I realized that my priorities are very clear now,” he said. “My priorities now are God, family and country. Now I said that before, but honestly I didn’t necessarily practice it.” Ironically, while Straub sought to uncover some of America’s values and virtues at its physical state capitols, he gleaned a lot more from the people he met along the way—his “capitol angels” who left an indelible impression. “When I was done with the trip, I realized I had done something very special and impactful in my life,” he said. “It renewed my spirit in the American people in general. “What I was probably most surprised at was the remarkable kindness I was greeted with. Alexis de Tocqueville wrote a book, Democracy in America, where he talked about America is great, because America is good. I believe America is still good. “It didn’t matter if they were black, white, Asian; it didn’t matter if they were rich or poor, in tattoos, piercings,—they were all equally accommodating and helpful to me on this trip.” As one of his neighbors told him, “Mickey, you’re going to capitols looking for God, but you found God everywhere.”
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The Phases of
Love
It is Valentine’s month again,
the time when the thoughts of many turn to love. We think back to how we first met. We wonder how our love has grown or waned, or if we’ll ever love again. We wish we hadn’t dawdled till all those good cards were gone! Love is quite an adventure, isn’t it? When we first meet someone wonderful, we’re filled with great Dan Meyer expectations. We’re aware of all Contributing Writer the things we have in common, the warm feelings we have for each other, the high potential for what we might be and build together. The ancient Greeks used the word Eros (think “erotic”) to describe this kind of love. I call it the “romance phase” of a relationship. It’s a time when you can’t get enough of each other, and the “kite” of connection seems to soar up and up. As delightful as it is, Eros is an intrinsically narcissistic stage of relationship. We don’t really know the other person yet. We’re so drunk on the romance that our vision of the other is actually impaired. What we mainly know is how nice we look and how good we feel when reflected in the mirror of that person’s shining presence. When I am with you, I see what a beautiful and valuable mate, co-worker or friend I am. Eros is essentially “because love.” I love you because of what I experience myself to be when I am with you. And then, without fail, the flight of love’s kite becomes familiar and more difficult. The pressures and winds of life start buffeting the relationship, and we enter into a period where Eros starts to dip and another kind of love has to start working, or the program will definitely crash. The Greeks called this sort of love Philia (think “filial”). It’s the word we associate with a sibling or friendship bond—the kind of connection that grows or dies as we really learn about each other. In this “learning phase” of a relationship, we start to see that the other person is not just an extension of our own selves, but actually a whole separate self—somebody with a set of attitudes, gifts and issues different than ours. This phase can also feel good. “Thank goodness she’s got better math or cooking skills than I do.” “Wow, he’s teaching me to play golf and can fix stuff that’s broken; this is great!” And 16 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
Illustration by David Marcet
When you see a really remarkable marriage, family, friendship or work relationship, you are seeing people undergoing this long and never quite finished process of uniting with one another in the highest form of love possible.
then we start to see that there are some annoying aspects to our differences too. “Gosh, she didn’t do that thing at all like I expected; I would never do it that way.” “He doesn’t seem to care at all about that value or need like I do. We’re going to have to fix that.” Philia is essentially “if love.” In the “romance phase” of a relationship, there aren’t many “ifs;” we’re all-in. But in the “learning phase,” certain conditions and concerns start to set in. “I will love you and be for you, if the benefits of our relationship outweigh the downsides...if you just don’t blow it too bad...if I just don’t start looking or feeling too badly.” There is this growing sense that there are some things about you that clearly need to change, some programs that need to be reconfigured or replaced. In time, the very things we so appreciated about the other person start to drive us crazy. “I loved what an organized person you were, but now you’re so rigid!” “I loved what a carefree and outgoing person you were, but now will you ever get focused or set a boundary?” At first, I’m thinking, “If I can just change you in these ways, all will be fine.” But then I start to despair that maybe you’ll never change. “I thought we were the perfect pair, but maybe I fell in love with, or hired, or took a job with, or befriended the wrong person. Maybe I need to move on.” And so, at least 50 percent of the time in marriages and more frequently in other kinds of relationships, we do move on. We either give up and go or give up and stay, but either way, the kite of that remarkable relationship we once hoped we had comes crashing down. Sound at all familiar? The sad thing is that many of us quit before we’ve gotten to the place where all the magic happens—where dramatic growth of character and joy is ultimately found. You see, it’s only when Eros and Philia have plummeted that we get to the place where we may be caught up in the upward draft of the third phase of love’s adventure. It’s only when “because love” and “if love” finally fail us that most of us discover the power of “in spite of love.” The word the ancient Greeks used for this third sort of love is Agape (ah-gah-pay). Think of a mouth agape in awe before something wondrous. Agape is the word the Apostle Paul used when he defined the nature of ultimate love. Before all the differences and imperfections that drag down a relationship, this kind of “love is patient and kind. It is not jealous or boastful, not arrogant or rude. It does not keep a record of wrongs or insist on its own way” (see 1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Agape is love like God’s; its grace is more powerful than the gravity of our failings and shortcomings. - Continued on the next page www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 17
- Continued from the previous page
Instead of naming and shaming people for their limitations, what would it look like to start delighting in people’s differences? During this month, celebrate the gifts of your spouse, your children, your workmates and friends. Tell them what you consider about them to be indispensable to your life and that of others. Agape is what leads us into the third season of a relationship— the “yearning for union phase.” When you see a really remarkable marriage, family, friendship or work relationship, you are seeing people undergoing this long and never-quite-finished process of uniting with one another in the highest form of love possible. Establishing this sort of union takes work, but is worth every bit of it. When we’re young, most of us relate to others out of some uncertainty about whether or not we really have any valuable gifts to bring to the party of life. Am I likable, we wonder? Is what I say rejected or welcomed? Am I athletic, artistic, attractive or bright? Over time, however, most of us have some successes and start to identify our gifts. It is here that another disability can start to take over. We start resting in and seeing others through the lens of our own strengths. If we’re gifted as organizers or communicators, we think that others should be. If we’re gifted with empathy or flexibility, we get irritated at people who seem too decisive or rigid. We get all wound up in our sense of the value we bring to life. “If only a woman were more like a man,” Henry Higgins wonders. “If only he were more like me,” a woman wonders. The fundamental differences between people are one of the major reasons why the kite of marriage, friendship or work partnership, so often crashes and burns after awhile. If you want to help reverse that downward spiral and catch the updraft to a better kind of relationship, then ask yourself these two questions. First of all: “What is it about me that is limited?” What, in spite of my many notable strengths, would be missing in my life and relational circles if everyone were just like me? In one of his most famous letters, the Apostle Paul addressed a group of people who were banging heads with one another, convinced that the other side should be more like them. Paul wrote: “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be,” (1 Cor. 12:17-19). If we can’t get to a place of realistic humility like this—if we cannot live daily from an authentic awareness of our own limitations and our genuine need for the different gifts that others bring, we will never grow up and our relationships will never go up. We’ll be like an ear or eyeball sitting on the ground. We’ll be like half a kite, wondering why we can’t seem to get airborne. So ask yourself: What is it about me that is tragically limited without the different gifts that my lover, my workmates, my friends, or neighbors bring? If you are struggling to name those limitations, ask others. (Believe me, they’ve noticed!) Then consider a second bit of wisdom St. Paul offers. Paul writes: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,” (1 Cor. 12:21-22). In other words—and here’s 18 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
the second question worth sitting with for awhile: What is it about the people around me that needs to be celebrated? I’m not suggesting that nothing about others needs changing. But how many times has a spouse, a friend or a co-worker been fired for the things they lacked, only for the people left behind to later discover all the indispensable gifts that person had actually been bringing that had never been celebrated? Why? Because we were so busy noticing their faults. I think of how obvious to Jesus the flaws of one of his first disciples were. Jesus saw how insecure and shifty a man named Simon could be under pressure. Yet he also saw the grit of which Simon was capable. So, instead of giving him the nickname, “Windbag” or “Sandy,” as the other disciples possibly regarded him, Jesus chose to call him “Peter,” literally “Rocky.” And Peter became the “Rock” on which the church was built. In his marvelous book, Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration, business guru Warren Bennis describes the characteristics of those great work groups that produced the most high-flying innovations in history—from the design of the 747 to the creation of the graphical user interface that spawned modern computing. What Bennis discovered is that at the heart of every one of those great groups was a leader with a rare capacity to notice and celebrate the very different gifts all the people in that body brought to the party—in spite of their limitations. These leaders lived with a burning passion to unite these gifts in a way that could bring forth the best. How could we do likewise? Instead of naming and shaming people for their limitations, what would it look like to start delighting in people’s differences? During this month, celebrate the gifts of your spouse, your children, your workmates and friends. Tell them what you consider about them to be indispensable to your life and that of others. Author Dave Meurer writes: “A great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple’ comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences.” CBS newsman Charles Osgood told the story of two stroke victims who shared life in a convalescent home. Margaret’s injury had incapacitated her whole left side. Ruth’s stroke had damaged the functioning of her right side. Sadder still was the fact that both of these ladies had once been accomplished pianists. One day, however, the director of the convalescent center sat them down together on a piano bench. He encouraged them to play with their one hand half of a single piece that both of them knew. Out of that trembling partnership, there arose the strains of magnificent music they couldn’t have created any other way. Luciano de Crescenzo writes: “All of us are angels with but one wing.” That’s true in your marriage, your workplace and throughout our community. Now and again, however, we are given the vision to recognize one another and to find together the heights of new flight. Those two key questions can help us get there.
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www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 19
AT HOME IN HINSDALE: A HOME DESIGN & REMODELING SHOWCASE New consumer event to be held at the Community House on March 22 “At Home in Hinsdale: A Home Design & Remodeling Showcase,” a new, one-day event, will be held on Saturday, March 22, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Community House in Hinsdale. The day-long expo will feature educational seminars about various home-design and remodeling topics, as well as local vendors in the industry who will be on hand to talk to homeowners. Exhibitors will include local businesses related to home design and remodeling, such as interior designers, home builders, remodeling contractors, home technology companies, landscapers, tradesmen, real estate agents, banking and mortgage professionals, catering companies and more. “Springtime is when many homeowners start to plan their home design and remodeling projects,” said Jan Anderson, president and CEO of the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce. “Our goal is to provide them with a full day of informative seminars and a chance to meet some of the trusted local resources in our immediate area that they can feel comfortable approaching and
20 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
starting a conversation about their home. “We’re very excited to bring this event to Hinsdale for the first time. The Community House is a great, convenient venue for homeowners to visit throughout the day.” For newer residents, the “At Home in Hinsdale” expo will introduce them to resources in the area they may not be familiar with, and could be a jumpstart event to get their own home remodeling projects underway. For longtime residents, the expo will offer them the opportunity to find new resources for their home decorating, home improvement and entertainment/ lifestyle needs. A seminar lineup will be announced before the end of the year. Businesses interested in exhibiting should contact Jan Anderson at the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce, janet@ hinsdalechamber.com, or call (630)-323-3952. For more details, visit www.hinsdalechamber.com.
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2014 Event Preview
One: the Benefit Date: Saturday, Feb. 22 Location: Skyline Loft, 1200 W. 35th Street, Bridgeport For the first time, the Hinsdale Junior Woman’s Club will take its annual benefit to the city on the evening of Feb. 22. One will be the product of about one year of planning, filled with dancing, socializing and live and silent auctions in an event space that can hold up to 1,100 people. All of the evening’s proceeds will benefit Hephzibah Children’s Association, an Oak Park-based non-profit organization that provides foster care to children in need. Last year, over 450 people turned out for the HJWC’s Gatsby Gala, benefiting the same charity. This year, members say their goal is to attract 700 guests. To purchase tickets, visit www.hjwc.us.
Queen of Hearts Date: Saturday, March 8 Location: Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace Queen of Hearts is the Misericordia Women’s League’s 18th annual fundraiser, to be held March 8 at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. As the theme might suggest, there will be a casino flavor in the air that evening, as guests will have the chance to play popular casino games to raise money for Misericordia. Founded in 1921, Misericordia is a north-side campus that currently provides shelter for more than 600 adults and children with physical and mental disabilities. The proceeds from Queen of Hearts will go towards Misericordia’s Personal Effectiveness Program, which uses technology to enhance skills that increase personal independence for residents.
Hunt for Health Date: Saturday, April 26 Location: Immanuel Hall, Hinsdale The Robert Crown Center will host its third annual Hunt for Health on April 26, which will start at Immanuel Hall in Hinsdale, at the corner of Grant and Third Streets. The Hunt for Health is essentially an adult scavenger hunt that takes teams of roughly a dozen people through downtown Hinsdale in search of “clues.” The clues are health-related, helping to raise awareness about significant health issues such as the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Last year, the event raised more than $38,000, which was directed towards operating expenses and the Robert Crown Center’s scholarship program. For more information, visit www.robertcrown.org.
Community House Walk for Autism Date: Sunday, April 27 Location: Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale Benefiting the Community House’s Charlie’s Gift Autism Center, the Walk for Autism is an event that has swelled to massive proportions in recent years, thanks in part to initiatives conducted at local schools. Last year, roughly 1,500 participants came out to Hinsdale Central High School on a Sunday morning in late April for the walk. Walkers proceed from Hinsdale Central at 55th and Grant Streets to downtown Hinsdale, before circling back to the high school to finish the 5K walk. Proceeds from the walk go towards the Charlie’s Gift Autism Center, a facility that provides programs and therapy for autistic individuals and their families. 22 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
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As featured in Hinsdale Magazine’s
DOCTOR PROFILES 2013 From Left: Vassilios (Bill) Dimitropoulos, MD; Joshua O. Podjasek, MD; Clarence William (Bill) Brown, MD; Stamatis (Tom) Dimitropoulos, MD.
UNIVERSITY DERMATOLOGY physician specialists are leading authorities in their field, and use their expertise to offer compassionate care and state-of-the-art medicine, treating all diseases of the skin, hair, and nails for patients of all ages, infancy to elderly. UNIVERSITY CARDIOLOGY AND VEIN CENTER focuses on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of leg diseases, including lower extremity swelling, ulceration, varicose veins and painful legs. DR. VASSILIOS (BILL) DIMITROPOULOS, MD has been board-certified as a dermatologist for nine years. Dr. Bill Dimitropoulos utilizes the most advanced skin-cancer removal technique—Mohs Micrographic Surgery. This surgery is performed in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia, minimizing the amount of healthy skin taken when removing skin cancer, thus minimizing scarring while maximizing the overall cosmetic result. Dr. Bill Dimitropoulos earned his M.D. at RUSH Medical College in Chicago, before completing a dermatology residency at the University of Michigan. CLARENCE WILLIAM BROWN, JR., MD has been practicing as a board-certified dermatologist for thirteen years. Dr. Brown utilizes the most advanced technique to remove skin cancer—Mohs Micrographic Surgery—which enables him to map and remove cancerous areas in thin layers with unprecedented precision. After earning his M.D.
from the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Brown completed residency training at RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Brown also previously served as the CoDirector of the Dermatologic Surgery Program at RUSH. STAMATIS (TOM) DIMITROPOULOS, MD is a triple board-certified cardiovascular specialist who has been practicing as a physician for eight years. Dr. Tom Dimitropoulos completed his medical training, internal medicine residency and cardiovascular disease fellowship at RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago, and a fellowship in Interventional Cardiology in Royal Oak, MI. Dr. Tom Dimitropoulos specializes in advanced techniques for treating varicose and leg veins, including endovenous ablation and sclerotherapy. These treatments are performed in the office without sedation, require no down-time and most are covered by insurance. Dr. Dimitropoulos is enrolled and participating in all major insurances and Medicare JOSHUA O. PODJASEK, MD is double board certified in dermatology as well as dermatopathology. Dr. Podjasek is a graduate of RUSH Medical College and he completed his dermatology training at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where he also completed a dermatopathology fellowship and served as a Clinical Instructor. Dr. Podjasek brings the innovation and knowledge of the Mayo Clinic to University Dermatology.
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university-dermatology.com university-med .com www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine
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Where Faith Inspires Academic Excellence
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24 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact: Diane Sullivan Vice-Principal 630-323-3244 Or Visit: www.SIJschool.org 421 S Clay, Hinsdale IL
2014 Event Preview
Derby Day Date: Saturday, May 3 Location: Hinsdale Golf Club For roughly six decades, Derby Day has served as the primary fundraiser for the Hinsdale Auxiliary of Children’s Home + Aid. Coinciding with the Kentucky Derby, held annually on the first Saturday in May, what started as a get-together in members’ backyards has blossomed into an event that attracts several hundred guests from the Greater Hinsdale area. Last year, over $100,000 was raised at Derby Day, a portion of which went towards the construction of a yoga center for children in need.
Walk for Wellness House Date: Sunday, May 4 Location: Wellness House, 121 N. County Line Road, Hinsdale The “Force” will be with volunteers who take part in the 16th annual Walk for Wellness House on the morning of Sunday, May 4. This year’s walk will feature a Star Wars theme, and the tagline for the event is, “May the ‘Fourth’ be with you.” Last year, roughly 1,700 runners and walkers teamed up to raise over $405,000 for Wellness House, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free non-medical programs and support to cancer patients and their families. This year’s Walk for Wellness House will include both a 5K run and 3K walk. To register for the walk, go to www.wellnesshouse.org.
Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival Date: Saturday, June 7 & Sunday, June 8 Location: Burlington Park, Hinsdale Hosted by the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce, the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival has served as a weekend showcase for exemplary artwork for over five decades. In recent years, artists from across the nation have displayed a variety of work at the fine arts festival. Last year’s festival showcased seven artistic media: painting/drawing, sculpture, photography, ceramics, fiber arts, jewelry and mixed media. For more information, visit www.hinsdalechamber.com.
Summer Concert Series Each of our four towns has its own summer concert series, making for seemingly numberless opportunities for community camaraderie once school lets out. The weekly fun commences on Wednesday nights in downtown Clarendon Hills with Dancin’ in the Street. Then, you have two choices for entertainment on Thursday evenings—Uniquely Thursdays at Burlington Park in downtown Hinsdale, or Oak Brook’s summer concert series at Central Park Pavilion adjacent to Ginger Creek. Lastly, you can start your weekend at the Burr Ridge Village Center at Concerts on the Green each Friday night.
www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 25
2014 Event Preview
Daisy Days Date: Friday, June 13 & Saturday, June 14 Location: Downtown Clarendon Hills One weekend each June, Clarendon Hills welcomes local residents to Daisy Days, the town’s annual two-day festival. What was once essentially a sidewalk sale for local businesses has expanded into an event filled with fun attractions, activities and entertainment for the whole family. Lockport-based Meritage Band provided musical entertainment on Friday night last year. The Daisy Dash 5K run will be held that Sunday on Father’s Day, June 15. For more information, visit www.clarendonhills.us.
Fourth of July Parade Date: Friday, July 4 Location: Hinsdale Perhaps the highlight of the summer entertainment docket in the Greater Hinsdale area is the Fourth of July Parade, which goes around the streets of Hinsdale each year. Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, who is also a Hinsdale resident, punctuated last year’s parade by hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head, as he rode down Garfield Street in the midst of hundreds of local fans. The parade also included local dignitaries such as Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., State Rep. Patti Bellock, R-Westmont, Hinsdale Village President Tom Cauley, Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub and DuPage County Board Member Gary Grasso.
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Photos courtesy of Cara Dickerson
Hinsdale Woman
Members of the Hinsdale auxiliary of Children’s Home + Aid participated in the “Snug Hugs” fundraiser last year.
Small but mighty
Hinsdale Auxiliary of Children’s Home + Aid committed to aiding children’s causes
A
by mike ellis
plethora of groups and organizations in the Greater Hinsdale area perform commendable charitable work for those in need, but not many can say they have been supporting the same cause for six decades. For roughly 60 years, the Hinsdale auxiliary has provided support to Chicago-based Children’s Home + Aid. “They were a group of women about the same size that our auxiliary is now,” said former auxiliary president Alyssa Guido, who has been a member of the group for the past 12 years. “They met at people’s homes for their meetings, and they started the fundraiser Derby Day to raise funds to support the corporate initiatives for the larger Children’s Home + Aid auxiliary.” Founded in 1883 by a Presbyterian minister from a small town downstate, Children’s Home + Aid is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of children in need and their families. Each year, Children’s Home + Aid serves upwards of 40,000 children and families in more than 60 counties throughout Illinois. It is the third-largest organization that provides child protection in the state. “At Children’s Home + Aid, we believe all children deserve a good home, a place that grounds them in a secure and loving presence, and gives them the confidence to make their own future,” said Jassen Strokosch, director of communication for Children’s Home + Aid. “Whatever their age, whatever their circumstances, they need someone they can count on to be there day after day to care for them, teach them, guide them and protect them from harm until they are grown.” Located in north-suburban Evanston, the Rice Child + Family Center serves as a temporary shelter for children ages 6-15 with emotional and behavioral issues. Many of these kids were the 28 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
victims of abuse, and have previously undergone psychiatric hospitalizations. “It’s pretty emotional to go and see the Rice Center,” auxiliary president Kristen Meyers said. “These children are probably in the toughest spot of all the children in the State of Illinois. They’re the kids that don’t have parents available to help them— for abuse reasons, or because they’re in jail. They have been in and out of foster care; a lot of them have even been with five or six different families. “At the same time, they’re still the sweetest kids; they’re funloving; they make jokes, they sing, they do crafts.” The Rice Center can hold up to 50 children at a given time, and includes a gymnasium, art studio and even a public school. Children’s Home + Aid’s goal is to find an appropriate family or community setting for children who reside at the center within 12-18 months. In 2013, the average stay for the children living at the Rice Center was 23.16 months—down more than 20 months from 2010, just three years earlier. The Hinsdale Auxiliary makes an annual trip to the Rice Center, which is something Guido said she believes “everybody looks forward to.” “It’s heartbreaking, and yet you are so thankful that a place like that exists for these kids,” she said.
Hinsdale Auxiliary Comprised of 30 members, the Hinsdale Auxiliary is smaller than many other local charitable volunteer groups. Guido said this factor helps many members feel more connected to and responsible for contributing to the auxiliary’s fundraising efforts. Some ex-members remain tied to the organization as associate members, while others have mothers who were - Continued on page 30
Band Together:
For Willowbrook Corner Youth Learning Program
Saturday, March 1, 2014 6:30-11pm At The Community House, 415 West 8th Street, Hinsdale, IL
Local rock band Paparockzzi and Hinsdale’s own School of Rock headline at The Community House for a night you won’t want to miss, plus enjoy a premium beer selection and heavy hors d’oeuvres. Proceeds benefit the Willowbrook Corner youth programs which offers education and support programs to meet the unique needs of youth and families in unincorporated Willowbrook, just six miles south of Hinsdale. For ticket information, visit our website at www.thecommunityhouse.org
www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 29
Andrea Thome, Nancy Ronquillo (Children’s Home + Aid CEO) and Jim Thome - Continued from page 28
previously members of the auxiliary. The common bond that most members share is a fondness for children and a desire to contribute to children’s causes. “I was looking for a way to give back to the community, and specifically to help underprivileged children,” Meyers said. “I liked the fact that it was a smaller group [in which] the volunteer expectations were very flexible. It wasn’t as structured as some of the larger organizations. This was kind of ‘come when you can, give what you can.’” “Once I had my own children, my heart just broke for children that maybe didn’t have the family that I was trying to give my children,” said Guido, who also worked as a preschool teacher at Grace Episcopal Church in Hinsdale for 16 years. “That’s what really drew me to it.”
Each year, the women of the auxiliary organize two events, Derby Day and the Sherry Party, both of which serve as fundraising initiatives for needy children who benefit from the programs and services of Children’s Home + Aid. Strokosch said the efforts of organizations like the Hinsdale auxiliary are “vital to what we do at Children’s Home + Aid,” which receives 15 percent of its funding through philanthropic endeavors. Derby Day is held on the first Saturday in May each year, coinciding with the Kentucky Derby. It is now attended by several hundred people each year and held at the venue chosen by the member who is chairing the event each year, but Guido said the event had humbler beginnings. “The main difference was, when they decided to start the fundraiser, now we have it at a venue, and we have a band, and we have auctions and an auctioneer,” she said. “They had it in the afternoon at someone’s backyard, and they all made a dish to share. “One of the really cool things about this auxiliary is it’s been around long enough to evolve from something very grassroots and very local, into something that’s grown into an annual event attended by over 200 people in surrounding communities.” At last year’s Derby Day at Ruth Lake Country Club, the auxiliary raised over $100,000, a portion of which went towards the construction of a new yoga center for Rice Center children. “It felt good to give these kids a yoga center,” Meyers said, adding that the yoga techniques they acquire could be beneficial for them even after they leave the Rice Center. The Sherry Party is held annually at the beginning of December. At this event, guests bring unwrapped gifts for children in need. Guido said Elyce Rembos, owner of the Green
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30 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
Karen Hood Photography KarenHoodPhotography@hotmail.com
Goddess Boutique in Hinsdale, has helped to grow this fundraiser, hosting it at her store for the past four years. “The Sherry Party was intended to be a more of a ‘thank-you’ to people who had supported us for our bigger event, Derby Day,” she said. “It’s grown into a fundraiser in its own right, and a lot of that is thanks to Elyce Rembos. It really made a difference when we started teaming up with her.” Because the auxiliary is a smaller group, the bulk of its time is absorbed in planning the two aforementioned events. Members are not required to complete service hours, but the auxiliary does make an annual trip to the Rice Center. Last year, the group participated in the Children’s Home + Aid winter clothing drive, “Snug Hugs,” collecting donations at the Community House and delivering them to the Merlin mufflers shop in Downers Grove. “Because we are small, when people come in, we definitely let them know, ‘We understand you’re volunteering, and we’re so thankful to have you as a member,’” Guido said. “We try to keep our pull on your time to a minimum. “I feel like we keep a really nice balance of respecting people’s time and the time they’re able to commit, but actually getting some incredible work done.” Guido said the auxiliary is “social,” but that is not the primary emphasis of the group. “We definitely focus less on ‘socialness,’ and more on doing really good work in the time that we have available,” she said. “If you’re looking for something to really fill your calendar, Children’s Home + Aid probably isn’t that group; but it’s a group that accomplishes a lot of work with a great group of women.” Derby Day will be held on Saturday, May 3 at Hinsdale Golf Club.
www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 31
Enriching experiments
Science
Photos courtesy of Bridget McGuiggan
Lanie Neihaus
John Tischke
Brian Williams
NIU STEM Outreach program visits Madison Elementary School
by mike ellis
M
adison Elementary students received a chance to experiment and boost their understanding of science when the Northern Illinois University STEM Outreach program came to their school on Jan. 16. Kids from kindergarten through fifth grade split up into two rooms, trying their hand at a number of experiments designed to enhance their curiosity of various branches of science, including mechanics, optics and electricity. “We want to spark the interest of children, because we have a science fair coming up,” Madison first-grade teacher Pat Brody said. “To see these experiments, they might think, ‘Maybe that’s something I’d like to do. I’m a scientist.’” NIU’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Outreach program visits over 100 schools each year, touching roughly 4,000-5,000 students with hands-on experiments and exhibits. “It’s basically a way to get kids involved in those particular fields, and get them interested at an early age,” said Matt Kucmierz, an NIU senior mechanical engineering major who volunteered at the event. The exhibits fascinated students, ranging from the “spectrum tube,” which isolated the colors contained in a tube when viewed with special glasses, to the “singing stemware,” the lid of which made a high-pitched sound after being rubbed by the liquid inside (this effect was produced by friction). Some exhibits were also perplexing and counter-intuitive at first glance. For example, by using two-sided mirrors, a single row of lights appeared to continue forever.
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Parent volunteers oversaw each exhibit, answering kids’ questions about the phenomena involved in each one. Pettee Guerrero, a STEM Outreach associate and NIU graduate student, said one of the objectives of parent volunteering is to further educate parents and encourage them to duplicate some experiments at home. “We ask parents to come and volunteer, so that way they can learn about science, and they can educate their kids at home,” Guerrero said. “Some of the things we show here they can make at home, so they can help their kids be more interested in science.” Jennifer Zock, co-chair of the Season of Science committee for the Madison PTO, said the STEM event works well with the “hands-on” type of learning District 181 would like to achieve in science. “The STEM event aligns nicely with what the district wants to do with Common Core,” said Zock, who also serves as the assistant to the Assistant Superintendents for Learning for the district. “What we really liked is that the students get to interact with each exhibit. “We like the hands-on experiences the kids get, because we know that’s the way they learn best.” Kucmierz said he was never exposed Mustafa Siddiqui to a STEM-type environment while he was in grammar school, and feels that the program is an effective tool for getting more kids interested in science. “Unfortunately, when I was growing up, I never really was able to attend things like this,” he said. “I saw some videos online, ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy,’ stuff like that. But I think this is a cool way to get kids hands-on and asking questions.”
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www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 33
Science
Beet Juice Morton Arboretum utilizes an innovative, environmentallyconscious method for snow removal.
Photo courtesy of Kelley Regan
by mike ellis
I
t’s been a frigid, snowy winter.— That’s a fact any resident of Chicagoland can attest. Salt is typically the antidote prescribed for melting away that persistent fluffy white stuff, but staff at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle have begun to employ a new ingredient for snow and ice removal in recent years: beet juice. Construction supervisor P.J. Smith said the arboretum began looking for an alternative method for snow and ice removal after he and several co-workers attended a workshop conducted by the Conservation Foundation in 2008. “We took a lot of what they were saying at this workshop, and came back to the arboretum,” said Smith, who has been with the arboretum for over two decades. “[Head of facilities] Ralph [Grieco] kind of put [horticulturist] Donna [Smith] and I on task to come up with a better way of doing snow and ice removal at the arboretum. By taking that workshop, we came up with the arboretum snow removal guidelines.” The arboretum purchases beet juice in 270-gallon totes. Smith and his team then combine the juice with salt to form “Ice Bite,” a mixture of beet juice and rock salt. They also utilize “Ice Bite S,” a combination of beet juice and salt brine, which comes pre-mixed in the tote. To form “Ice Bite,” the beet juice, which is stored in the arboretum’s barn, is first
34 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
poured into a five-gallon bucket, before being applied to rock salt by a loader. The juice itself has an extremely dark brown color, bearing some resemblance to the pigment of leaves you might clear out of your gutter after they’ve been exposed to soot and rain. After the juice is mixed with rock salt, a lighter brown color is produced, which is easily distinguishable from the white snow to which it is applied. “When it becomes a uniform brown color, it’s ready to be loaded in,” Smith said. “This kind of helps it keep from clumping, and it also starts the brining effect that’s really necessary for effective snow and ice melting.” The “Ice Bite” and “Ice Bite S” mixtures both act more like liquids than rock salt, and Smith said they stick to the snow much better. Due in part to this factor, Smith said he and his co-workers have reduced salt use by over 75 percent since introducing beet juice several years ago. “In 2007, we were using about 9-10 semi-loads of salt; now we’re down to about three semi-loads,” he said. The arboretum has also found that these substances are more effective in treating snow at lower temperatures. Smith said that while bulk rock salt begins to lose its efficacy at around 19 degrees, he gets better melt from the beet juice mixture down to about zero. In addition to being more effective under colder conditions, the mixtures are also better for plants. When pure rock
salt is applied to snow, it is known to bounce, and some of the salt is displaced from the roadway. “It tends to bounce, and [experts have] estimated as much as 20 percent lands outside of the area that you’re trying to effectively melt,” Smith said. “That’s landing on either trees or grass. “A lot of times, if you look at the medians along the road edge, you’ll notice the grass is all browned-out. That’s more than likely caused by salt.” But because the beet juice mixtures are stickier, the bounce effect is minimized, diminishing the amount of damage done to trees and grass. Smith said beet juice and rock salt “combined together are in my opinion one of the easiest and best ways” to remove snow and ice.
Small business solution
As the arboretum purchases beet juice in 270-gallon totes, it might be difficult to add to your personal snow and ice removal formula. But Smith said it is an option he thinks small businesses that bring in outside companies for snow removal should consider. “As far as small businesses, if they’re having a company come in, I think it would be good for them to ask if snowremoval personnel could provide that type of product,” Smith said. “I don’t think there’s a lot of extra cost for a company that wants to do this.”
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911 N. Elm, Suite 230 Hinsdale, IL HinsdaleDentistry.com www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 35
Fashion
Photos by Marcello Rodarte
Hinsdale Central senior Nick Leahy
Fashion forward
Hinsdale Central senior prepares to host fashion show at the Community House in April
N by mike ellis
ick Leahy and his family and friends always knew he was destined to be different. Growing up in the relatively homogeneous confines of the Western Suburbs, Leahy, now a senior at Hinsdale Central, said it wasn’t always easy for him to fit in with everyone else around him. “My entire life, I’ve been different than anyone else,” he said. “Little things that were characteristics of myself growing up, a lot of kids just didn’t like.” Before arriving at Hinsdale Central, Leahy had been involved with musical theatre, and found his niche in the arts, at first exploring an interest in singing,
36 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
painting and drawing. “I think I knew very early on that Nick had an eye for the arts,” Leahy’s mom Lyn said, “whether it was musical arts or fine arts, he has always had a unique eye.” Thanks in part to some guidance from art department chair Laura Milas and choir director Jennifer Burkemper, Leahy said things “got a lot better” for him in high school, and he started becoming more comfortable expressing himself. “My art teacher has been a godsend to me with my creative side, and also as an emotional outlet,” he said. After his sophomore year, Leahy said he realized he wanted to shift gears from traditional painting and drawing to fashion design. His mom Lyn said he learned the basics of sewing from her mother and from consumer education
courses in school. An ambitious endeavor, Leahy credits Milas for working with him during his junior year to fine-tune his designing skills. With Milas’ assistance, Leahy designed his first collection, “Black Diamond,” that same year. Leahy said fashion allows him to fuse his passion for both art and music. “I’ve done musical theatre my entire life,” he said, “and fashion is kind of a way to take my musical theatre side and my artistic side and throw them all into fashion. It’s a way to do everything in one medium.”
Senior fashion show In the summer of 2013, Leahy completed a second collection, “Transformation,” but had yet to actually - Continued on page 38
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Hinsdale (630) 654-2900
920 N. York Road, Suite 310 | Hinsdale,|Hinsdale IL 60521Magazine 37 www.hinsdale60521.com
- Continued from page 36
introduce his pieces to the world in the form of a fashion show. That idea was presented to him by Jane Johnson, a family friend whose daughter participated in a number of musicals with Leahy. “One day, I came over, and Lyn told me he was designing fashions,” Johnson said. “I came into the room and saw them, and I was blown away by his talent...I asked him if he was going to do a fashion show, that he really should do something like that at the end of his senior year.” Johnson and a group of local theatre moms who had also known Leahy for years have teamed up to make Nick’s dream of holding a fashion show a reality. Leahy said the theatre moms have been “ridiculously supportive,” and was surprised that they were willing to do so much to help him. Leahy will debut his third collection, “Darkpop,” at the show on April 25 at the Community House. “It’s very cutting-edge fashion,” Leahy said, “and the meaning behind all the fashion is very edgy—, but there’s also a sweet side to it. It’s really going to make you think, and you’re going to feel a lot of different emotions with each piece.”
The evening will begin with a silent auction, which will feature artwork designed by Hinsdale Central alumni who have made it in the industry, as well as current Hinsdale students. On the runway, (which is being designed by Leahy’s dad,) most of the models who will debut his dresses will be Red Devil alumni and current students. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Hinsdale Central Art Department and Born This Way Foundation, a foundation founded by singer Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta, to promote acceptance and individuality. “Since bullying has had such a great impact on my life, I chose their foundation to donate to, because their specialty is bullying and supporting bravery,” Leahy said. Having recently been accepted into the prestigious Parsons New School of Design in New York and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Leahy said he is confident that fashion design is something he would like to do for a living. Laura Milas said she believes he will do well. “Nick possesses the creative and
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personal traits that will enable him to be a productive and successful adult,” Milas said. “Nick has the skills, intellect, work habits and vision to excel in fashion design.” Lyn Leahy said she is glad her son has been able to find success through the arts. “I think a lot of people know what Nick’s journey has been,” she said. “They’ve watched him grow up from when he was small until now, and I think they’ve seen him rise above a really difficult situation in his life to overcome some of the things he’s had to deal with as a young person. “I think music and art saved Nick; they gave him a place where he could take his emotions that he was experiencing, both positive and negative, and put them into something really amazing. I think his story, his journey are what people are rallying behind right now.” “Darkpop” will be held at the Community House on April 25. The silent auction will begin at 6 p.m.; the fashion show will follow at 7. Tickets are $10 for students, $20 for adults and $50 for VIP seating. To purchase tickets, visit www.nicholaschristoph.com.
Restaurant Review
Hinsdale m
a
g
a
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i
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Photos by Marcello Rodarte
NABUKI
WHERE JAPANESE TRADITION MEETS LATIN FLAIR
I
by ROBERT DAMIEN | The wandering gourmet
knew I was in for a treat as I perused the glass case containing a generous array of fresh seafood delights: maguro (tuna, my favorite), ebi (shrimp), tako (octopus), ika (squid), and other staples of Japanese cuisine. They beckoned me, as if privy to my passion for the food of the land of the rising sun. After all, I had lived in Japan for three years, had enjoyed countless feasts, immersed myself in the culture, learned the language (yes, they called to me in Japanese), and came to appreciate the immaculately clean cuisine of this island nation. But what I experienced at Nabuki was something entirely unique, and oh, so memorable! Nabuki—which means to tease, interestingly enough—is a Japanese-Latin fusion jewel of a restaurant located in stylish, historic downtown Hinsdale. The master chef is a kind, gracious man named Juan Perez, who is highly adept at creating culinary delights that test the limits of human imagination. He is as knowledgeable as—and more creative than—any Japanese
40 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
sushi master I have met, and I have met many over the years. The manager, a fine, amiable gentleman by the name of Sergio Mendoza, immediately offered me some jasmine tea, sat down with me, and proceeded to convey the history of Nabuki, from its inception six years ago—when this particular fusion concept was born—to the present, as it has been heartily embraced by people from the Greater Hinsdale area. Ever so generous with his smiles, Mr. Mendoza spoke proudly about how Nabuki’s owners, Clay Nacaratto and Peter Burdi, as well as chef Perez, the entire staff and himself, pride themselves on “maintaining the highest degree of creativity, consistency and customer service.” Every item, every morsel of food on a plate “must be utterly perfect,” according to chef Perez and Sergio—otherwise it does not make it to the table. This perfectionism is precisely why Nabuki
e
enjoys such a robust business—why some regulars come two or more times a week—why their patrons have come to trust, respect and appreciate the stellar job this team does on a daily basis. As the artfully-presented dishes began coming out in waves, I was galvanized. This was to be special. There was the everpopular edamame (steamed soybeans), a heaping bowl of them, with just the right amount of salt sprinkled on top to enhance but not overpower the delicate flavor of the beans. I popped a few in my mouth and was transported back to Japan, where the natives eat these, (and not chips or pretzels,) with their beer. The Asian Pork Skewers (the skewers are actually lemongrass) resembled little meatballs that were served with a well-balanced sweet and sour sauce, and garnished with a sweet red chili sauce. The sauces married well with the pork, perfectly enhanced and beautified the dish. I suddenly felt the urge to spring up and dance to some funky Latin beat. This is a Japanese-Latin fusion restaurant, after all, and the food was so delicious I felt a little “boogying” was in order, if not thoroughly appropriate. The Crazy Jalapeno, Nabuki’s take on chilesrellenos (at least in my estimation), consisted of tempura jalapenos loaded to the brim, with a cream cheese and crab mixture, accompanied by a sweet and spicy sauce. It was a masterwork that tickled my tongue and lovingly stroked my taste buds. The combination was perfection. The Escolar (a white variety of tuna, served sashimi style) was ever so delicate and soft, slightly peppered, and nearly melted in my enraptured mouth. The slightly sweet wasabi yuzu sauce and smidgen of citrus that graced it was like nothing that I had ever tasted, and was nothing short of spectacular. The Crabby Tuna is a spicy crab mixture wrapped in maguro sashimi ribbons. It was reassuringly piquant, subtly creamy, and such a unique and creative dish that I could have scoffed a few more. When I finally got to the enticing Chilean Sea Bass, I was brimming
with sheer excitement and anticipation. This is my absolute favorite fish to cook. Nabuki’s exceptional version is pan-seared, served alongside a bed of sticky rice, garnished with steamed asparagus, raw Japanese carrots and a bowl of delicate shiro miso sauce. The fish was perfectly prepared, not at all overdone or dry; indeed, the flesh was soft, flaky, juicy and simply delectable. It fell apart when I poked at it with my chopsticks; the otherworldly aroma crept up my nostrils as I dispatched of it with gusto. “How could anything top this?” I asked myself. I have eaten this fish countless times over the years—on several continents—, and never tasted or enjoyed anything like chef Juan’s utter masterpiece! If you like fish (and Chilean sea bass in particular), you must go straight away to Nabuki and enjoy a nice, ample piece of theirs. The fish is exquisite and the price is extremely fair. The desserts offered were imaginative and scrumptious: a passion-fruit cheesecake that is pleasingly tart and puts anything Eli’s produces to shame; a moist and creamy chocolate cake roll; and a Godiva Mousse that was rich, smooth and pleasing to the senses that matter most to a foodie. The feast I enjoyed at Nabuki is one of the top five meals I have ever eaten—anywhere. It was mouth-watering and magnificent. If you desire a unique blend of Japanese tradition and Latin flair, a lunch or dinner at Nabuki is absolutely imperative. The staff go out of their way to make your dining experience enjoyable, memorable and “referable”—that is to say, you will most certainly tell your friends about it. This was, in three simple words, my culinary paradise, and I look forward to many returns. Nabuki is located at 18 E. First Street in Hinsdale. For reservations, call (630)-654-8880.
Photos by Marcello Rodarte
www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 41
Peak Performance
The “90-Second Rule” Valentine’s Gift Jim Fannin Contributing Writer
W
hat Valentine’s gift best symbolizes the love for your significant other? What gift showcases your heartfelt devotion? A rose? A bracelet? Dinner? A diamond is nice, although it’s a little pricey; chocolate always works. What can you possibly say or do to make this day special? What if you gave your spouse or mate a gift that lasted 365 days? What if it lasted forever? Here’s one of your Valentine’s gifts that will keep giving and giving—and it only takes 90 seconds each night. Trust me: the returns on this 90-second investment will be immense. There are two times in a 24-hour cycle when your subconscious mind is naturally amenable to suggestion: right before you sleep and as you awake. Like fertile soil, your subconscious mind will readily receive good seeds and bad seeds during these times. When the same seeds of love, trust, harmony, peace and passion are planted, your relationship will grow into a redwood of unity, prosperity and everlasting love. Make your 90-Second Rule investment sometime within the last 30 minutes before deep sleep. Whatever you think or feel within this timeframe is recorded by your subconscious mind, and replayed 15-17 times throughout the night. (Now you know why you have sleepless nights.) Yes—you better think positively during this time. Think about what you want as opposed to what you don’t want. Holding the same thought (either good or bad) for 7-10 days in a row will unleash your subconscious mind to do everything in its power to manifest itself into the physical equivalent of the thought or thoughts. Start thinking about what you think about. This simple, nightly 90-second commitment to each other will pay big dividends in your relationship. It carries the seeds of loving positivity that will strengthen your bond. Think about being together forever, and your subconscious mind will figure out a way to make it so. Togetherness, passion, solidarity, compassion, forgiveness, love and happiness will arrive with positive actions governing your waking hours. Before drifting off into the REM state of deep sleep, make the following commitment “gift” to your significant other this Valentine’s night and every other night thereafter: The last
42 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
90 seconds of your day is devoted exclusively to each other. This routine is about giving, sharing, loving and nurturing. If a disagreement cannot be resolved before the 90-Second Rule, agree to resolve your differences the next day if there is an impasse; however, the 90-Second Rule still applies. No matter what transpired before the 90 seconds, do not allow the negative to go to sleep with you—period. Commit to this use of the 90-Second Rule. Sacrifice other thoughts that may have invaded your nightly ritual of sleep. Forgo thoughts of work, health, children or other challenges that permeate your mind. Eliminate thoughts that make you a victim or a judge. Commit to loving thoughts about the most important person in your life; do not take him or her for granted. Recommit your end-of-the-day thoughts to your life partner. What if I’m alone in this 90-Second Rule routine? It may start out like this; however, be consistent; never waver. Positive thoughts eventually influence the thoughts of others. This is your gift to your relationship. Stay the course. Go to bed happy and wake up happy. This is your mantra. During your nightly 90-Second Rule, here are some positive, loving examples: •Talk in low-pitched tones. •Talk slowly and calmly. •Look into each other’s eyes. •Avoid finances, kids, jobs or personal health. •Care about what the other feels. •Feel about what the other cares. •Hug like you’ve been apart for weeks. •Be best friends. •Be silent with your words, but not your eyes. •Compromise. •Talk only about the future in a positive, loving way.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Jim Fannin’s 40-year old S.C.O.R.E.® Success System has dozens of 90-Second Rule™ tools, techniques and tips for being the best you can be in life, business or sports. For more information and a free S.C.O.R.E.® e-book, go to www.jimfannin.com.
www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 43
Photo courtesy of Michelle Vranicar
Showing gratitude Hinsdale Central cheerleaders, alumni and parents honor coach’s ten-year anniversary with squad with celebration
A
by mike ellis
collection of Hinsdale Central cheerleaders, alumni and parents gathered to celebrate coach Kristen Bronke’s ten-year anniversary with the program at Ruth Lake Country Club on Dec. 19. Parents affiliated with the program arranged the get-together, which Bronke said was a complete surprise. “I had absolutely no idea this was going to happen—no clue whatsoever,” she said, shortly after walking in. “They did a very good job of keeping it a surprise.” Bronke, whose only teaching job has been at Hinsdale Central, has served as a cheerleading coach, business teacher and is the current Achieve program director, working with at-risk students. She began cheerleading in middle school, while she was living in Decatur, and continued cheering in high school and college at Millikin University. Coming to Hinsdale Central in 2003, Bronke started out in the business department and as a coach within the cheerleading program. During her tenure, Red Devil cheerleading has expanded considerably. “It’s definitely grown significantly over the years,” she said. “We’ve gone from having 40 girls in the program to having over 70. And we’ve grown from having just two seasons to having seasons that all 44 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com
work together.” Current Hinsdale varsity cheerleaders said Bronke has brought confidence and a positive attitude to practice, which has helped them to develop as a team. “She is very confident in what she tells us,” senior Lainey Huth said, “and she always gives us positive feedback.” “She’s like the ‘glue’ that keeps the whole program together,” senior Paxton Gammie said. “Whenever we need anything, we go to Bronke. She’s very efficient and fair, and a fantastic leader and role model for all of us, even outside of cheerleading.” Bronke said she sees her role as coach involving more than simply cultivating cheerleading talent. “I think I try to develop cheerleaders that are well-rounded,” she said, “and I enjoy working with and seeing them grow. I love to watch cheerleaders that are involved not only in cheerleading, but in other [activities], like our yearbook and our newspaper.” Senior Kate Ryan, who Bronke encouraged to join cheerleading during her freshman year, said she has felt this type of support from her coach on a consistent basis. “Out of all the teachers and coaches in the building, I definitely think she’s the most fair and compassionate person,” Ryan said. “Every week, she’s always
asking how our classes are going, and what [activities] we’re involved with besides cheerleading. “I think she really cares about [each student] as one person, well-rounded, and not just as a cheerleader.” “She’s also very approachable and available,” Gammie added. “Kate and I, if we ever need anything, go to her office and talk for a really long time, because she’s great with advice.” Hinsdale Central Athletic Director Dan Jones, now in his second season with the school, said he has observed the same qualities in Bronke. “I think what sticks out the most is her compassion for her students, and wanting the best for the athletes that she works for,” Jones said. Bronke said she believes the future of Hinsdale Central cheerleading is “bright,” and that she hopes to continue at the only school she has ever called home as an educator. “I absolutely love working at Hinsdale Central,” she said. “The staff are such professionals, and the families are so committed to what we do. “The people that I work with are phenomenal, and the students that I’ve had the opportunity to coach and to teach have made my career much more.”
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HEALTHY BODY Get Back in the Game
My son recently injured his knee, how soon until he can get back in the game with his basketball team? By: Michelle L. Quillin, MPT, Regional Director, ATI Physical Therapy
ometimes it’s a sudden pop, other times it’s a gradual onset of pain. Whether it’s an acute injury or a chronic one, it can be quite a journey for an athlete to recover from an injury and fully return to sport. When dealing with an injury, our goal is always to get an athlete back as quickly and as safely as possible. However, there are a lot of factors that play into that. Because there is no single test or measure to determine if an athlete is ready to return, athletes must complete a series of comprehensive tests and drills to determine their level of readiness. Ultimately, we want to get them as close to a game-like situation as possible under our supervision before we fully return them. Although specific exercises vary from sport to sport, ATI Physical Therapy has created return to play progressions following a general six-step progression to safely return athletes to sport: 1. Acute rehab and light general conditioning 2. Sports-specific strengthening and moderate general conditioning 3. Heavy general conditioning and non-contact skill work 4. Controlled light contact 5. Scrimmage 6. Full return to sport An athlete must meet all criteria from one level prior to starting the next level of progression. If an athlete experiences symptoms at any level, they need to stop at that level or even regress to a previous level before progressing again. It can take an athlete days, weeks, or months to complete this progression.
Although the process may seem slow to an athlete who’s ready to get back to the game, it’s essential to make a gradual progression. The biggest mistake athletes make is that as soon as they feel good, they start playing and therefore re-injure themselves. I often tell them they can miss one more game and play the next five, or they can choose to play this one and miss the next two or three. Even if an athlete is physically ready to return to sport, there’s a mental aspect of readiness to consider as well. If an athlete isn’t confident in their ability to play again, they’ll often hesitate in a game situation, which can put them at greater risk for injury. We don’t want that. To help build confidence, physical therapists, athletic trainers, or other medical staff should talk to their athletes to identify what their fears are and come up with solutions to combat them. For example, if an athlete with an injured knee is scared to jump, the physical therapist can spend time to make sure they are jumping with proper form and gradually progress them to increasingly difficult jumping tasks to improve their confidence. It’s important to make sure the athlete is totally ready to return to the game. When an athlete is both physically and mentally ready, they’re less likely to experience another injury, and that’s our goal. The number one risk factor for an injury is a previous injury, which tells us that we (as healthcare providers) need to do all that we can to make sure they are ready in all aspects prior to returning to sport. To learn more about ATI Physical Therapy’s services or to schedule a complimentary injury screening, please visit www.ATIpt.com or call 1-855-MY-ATIPT.
www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 45
Sports
Photos by Marcello Rodarte
Sharp Shooters Hinsdale “3v3” soccer team competes at national tournament
T by mike ellis
he Hinsdale Sharp Shooters, a team of 8-10-year-old soccer upstarts, recently completed an impressive showing at the Disney 3v3 Championships at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Kissimmee, Fla. 3v3 soccer is a version of soccer played with fewer athletes on a smaller, 30- by 40-yard field—and without goalies. Each team is permitted to have three players on the field at a given time, affording each player more opportunities to possess the ball. “The kids get a lot more touches on the ball, which is the whole premise for doing [3-v-3],” said Travis McKay, head coach of the Hinsdale Sharp Shooters. “They learn how to pass the ball with one touch instead of taking two, three touches before they distribute it. “It teaches them really good vision, and teaches them the ability to be confident and beat a kid oneon-one.” McKay has been involved with soccer for virtually his entire life, playing travel soccer from the time he was six years old through high school. He started coaching 3v3 eight years ago, when his older son Brady was six years old. McKay said in his eight years of coaching 3v3, he has never had the level of talent this squad possessed. “To find six boys that all live within two miles of each other [that are] this good at a sport is very rare,” McKay said. “I’ve never had the talent pool like I have this time.” The 3v3 soccer season commences in June and concludes the following January in Florida. In the summer, the Hinsdale Sharp Shooters competed at local outdoor tournaments, but McKay said there are additional opportunities to
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compete at regional tournaments The Hinsdale Sharp Shooters: Luke Bilenko, Luke Adams, Colby Revord, in cities like Cody McKay, Trevor Butkus and Jack Bilenko, with coach Travis McKay Springfield, Ill., and of a goalie. While this factor inevitably Columbus, Ohio. “We choose to stay local in the summer, increases scoring possibilities, it also encourages players to work together as because our kids are so busy,” he said. The Sharp Shooters placed first at all teammates to produce defensive stops. of the local tournaments in which they McKay said the two stratagems teams competed, qualifying for the Disney 3v3 regularly implement are the 2-1 and 1-1Championships last month. McKay said 1 (or “I”) formations; the Sharp Shooters the team suffered a series of unfortunate utilized the “I” formation as their team injuries and ailments ranging from a defense. “It’s really hard for the other team to sprained ankle to the stomach flu. The Sharp Shooters did not bring home a first- shoot the ball and score when you’ve place trophy, but did get the chance to got our boys that are always in front of face off with the two teams that ultimately the goal,” McKay said. “It’s all about containing the player, and not stepping met in the championship match. “Considering all our in.” So how does 3v3 soccer differ from injuries and illnesses, I was very proud of the the regulation version from a playing effort our boys gave in perspective? Jack Adams, 9, of Hinsdale the face of adversity,” and Colby Revord, 9, of Hinsdale said the game moves faster, and therefore requires McKay said. Watching the team more energy and effort. “It’s a much faster game [with] smaller practice at Westmont Yard before heading goals,” Revord said. “It’s a shorter field; to the Disney 3v3 it’s more tiring—a lot more tiring. There’s Championships, their less people on the field, so you’ve got to collective athletic work harder.” “It’s a really fast-paced game, but there prowess and soccer are really good teams in 3v3 soccer, so it’s skills stood out for fun competing,” Adams said. their ages. On the whole, Revord said he might McKay said each player brings an individual skillset that contributes even prefer 3v3 soccer to regulation positively to the team’s overall soccer. “I think the best part about this is you performance. “They all complement each other,” he get to work as a team and with a team,” said. “I had all the boys go around and he said. “I really like 3-v-3, maybe even talk about what makes them unique. more than [regulation] soccer. It’s such a For instance, this guy Colby [Revord] fun game.” is probably one of the fastest kids you’ll ever see at his age. This guy Cody [McKay]—you’ll never see a kid that’s got better moves with the ball at his feet. “They all bring something unique to the team, which I think makes them a unique group of boys.” One added challenge of 3v3 soccer is the absence
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www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 47
Sports
Strong Showing
Hinsdale Central Boys Basketball wins 4 of 5 games, takes 6th place at nation’s largest holiday tournament
Thomas Ives releases his game-winning shot against Homewood-Flossmoor.
Photo courtesy of Dan White
H by mike ellis
insdale Central Boys Basketball captured the sixth place trophy at the prestigious Proviso West Holiday Tournament in Hillside in late December. The Red Devils won four of the five games in which they competed, including an overtime thriller that featured two buzzer-beaters. After suffering a pair heart-wrenching first-round losses in 2011 and 2012 to Morgan Park and Stevenson respectively, the Red Devils got over the proverbial hump with a comfortable 60-45 victory over Lincoln Park on Dec. 21. The Red Devils played stifling zone defense throughout, aggressively forcing 21 Lincoln Park turnovers that led to 32 Hinsdale points. Junior forward-center Matt Rafferty led all scorers with 18 points, while seniors Chase Hamilton and Jacob White each grabbed four steals. Leading by just a single point coming
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out of the locker room, 29-28, Hinsdale amplified its defensive pressure in the third quarter, holding Lincoln Park to a paltry three points in the period. The Red Devils outscored the Lions 19-3 in the third, which proved to be the difference in the game. “It was a great team effort,” White said. “Our coaches put us in the best position to make plays, and that’s what we did against Lincoln Park, especially in the second half.” In the second round, Hinsdale faced a stiff test from perennial regional powerhouse St. Joseph, which was ranked No. 9 in the state by the Chicago Tribune entering the game. The Red Devils trailed throughout most of the game, but clawed back in the second half, holding the Chargers to just 16 points in the final two quarters, while receiving a fourthquarter spark from senior forward Grant Lillard. Down 45-44 with under three minutes remaining, Hinsdale squandered
several chances to take the lead. In the game’s final seconds, senior guard Chase Hamilton’s three-point attempt rolled in and out, preserving the narrow victory for St. Joseph. Hinsdale head coach Nick Latorre said it was a game his team “certainly” could have won. “The last shot of the game kind of rattled out,” Latorre said. “If that goes in, we win the game. I thought we played solid against them, but I did think we got better from that game.” Ousted from the championship bracket, Hinsdale’s next opponent was HomewoodFlossmoor, which also lost a squeaker to Proviso East in the previous round. The Red Devils opened up a ten-point lead at halftime, but the Vikings battled back to take control of the game in the fourth quarter. Trailing 49-46 with under 20 seconds remaining, Hinsdale had one last chance to tie the game. Hamilton missed a three-pointer long from the corner, but
Rafferty rebounded the ball, promptly dribbled out behind the arc, and fired a three to send the game into overtime. “We fought all the way to the end, and we weren’t going to let them beat us,” Rafferty said. “We definitely persevered through all the bumps in the road in that game.” The teams battled to a 55-55 tie in the waning seconds, when junior Thomas Ives drilled a three-pointer from the right corner to seal the victory for Hinsdale, 5855. “The last three years we’ve been here, we’ve lost on I think four last-second shots,” Latorre said. “It was nice to get one go our way.” Brimming with confidence, the Red Devils finished the tournament in commanding fashion with double-digit wins over New Trier in the sixth-place consolation semifinals, and Rockford (Auburn) in the sixth-place game on New Year’s Eve. Taking advantage of considerable size advantages in both matchups, the 6’7” Rafferty exploded for a combined 53 points and 24 rebounds in the two games. He was an astounding 14-for-15 from
the field against New Trier, finishing that game with 31 points. “We definitely had some size advantages, so we utilized those, and continued to go inside,” Rafferty said. The Red Devils used their size to dominate the glass in the sixth-place game against Rockford (Auburn), outrebounding their opponents 44-25. “Our kids did a great job with their boxouts for the most part,” Latorre said. “It sure appeared that way, that we eliminated many of their second-chance points. Once we were able to take care of the ball, we were able to pull away from them.” Latorre said he saw improvement in his team over the course of the tournament.
Round 1st Round Round of 16 6th Place QF 6th Place SF 6th Place Game
“I thought we improved as the week progressed, which was nice to see,” he said. “I like the way we defended against Auburn—in the second half, especially. I think there were a lot of positive things to take out of the tournament.” Having now faced some of the toughest competition in the state, Latorre said it will be important for Hinsdale to continue improving throughout the conference season. “You’d like to think that this is a positive thing that we can build upon and continue to improve,” Latorre said. “We have to keep getting better, because everybody else is getting better. I hope we stay hungry and continue to improve.”
Opponent
Outcome
Lincoln Park St. Joseph Homewood-Flossmoor New Trier Rockford (Auburn)
W, 60-45 L, 45-44 W, 58-55(OT) W, 69-56 W, 59-39
Expires 03-31-14
Code:2130
Expires 03-31-14
Code:2130
www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 49
Tech KNOW
All of your credit cards in one
Coin
E
ach time you head to your local electronics store, all purchases start in the same spot— your wallet. Since your toothbrush is mechanical and your dog wears a GPS collar, why not digitize your methods of payment? A San Francisco-based company is bringing all of your credit cards, gift cards and payment methods into one single digital card dubbed Coin. Errol Janusz Contributing Writer This tiny, black, credit card-sized device works the same as any of your credit cards, in all of the same type of machines you swipe them in. The difference between Coin and any other card is that Coin will store all of your gift cards and credit cards inside of it, eliminating all of the clutter in your wallet. This smartphoneconnected payment card has a magnetic strip located on it, and will store many of the most popular credit card brands inside of it. How do the cards get into Coin? A tiny device will attach to your smartphone, and with each swipe and an additional
picture of the card, Coin will securely store it for usage. Through Bluetooth on your phone, you can select which card you would like to use during payment; or Coin itself has a small LED screen to choose the correct payment method. The other Bluetooth feature on the card provides security. If you were to leave your card at the checkout counter, your smartphone will beep and vibrate, warning you that your card has been left behind. I believe Coin is a great concept gadget that will introduce the age of many companies providing electronic payment gadgets. Of course, like any gadget a bit ahead of its time, there is a drawback or two. This device works in partnership with your smartphone through Bluetooth. If your phone dies or you leave it at the office, the card becomes unusable. I also believe Coin may be trying to reinvent something people are already comfortable using. Although Coin is improving on a payment method already used today, new methods such as Google Wallet and smartphone electronic payments will challenge Coin to become the future of currency transfer.
Errol Janusz is President and Lead Technician at Edward Technology. For more information, contact Errol at (630) 3339323, ext. 303, or email him at ejanusz@Hinsdale60521.com. Visit Errol’s website at, www.edwardtechnology.com.
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www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 51
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