Arlington Heights fifth-graders' 15 minutes of fame go on and on

A group of fifth-grade basketball players from the Arlington Heights Youth Basketball Association helped open the sports segment Monday on the "Good Day Chicago" show on Fox.

The fifth-grade team executed a passing drill in the studio behind Good Day Chicago co-anchor Mike Barz during a live tease to the sports segment. When the program returned from a commercial break, Barz interviewed the team briefly, before doing his sports report.

Team members featured included: Tori Appelt, Maggie Berigan, Delia Douglas, Kathryn Jamieson, Nikki Matters, Lauren Miller, Meg Naughton, Gianna Parise, McKayla Ryan and Meghan Slowik, all of Arlington Heights.

After the sports segment, Barz posed for pictures with team members and their parents, before inviting them to watch the live news broadcast in the studio. There, they watched coverage of the news, including updates on Hurricane Gustav and the Republican National Convention.

However, it turns out, their 15 minutes of fame appear to be longer. Fans can log onto the station's new Web site, www.FoxJox.com, to see their television debut, as well as even more Arlington Heights-based videos.

Part of this week's featured clips are segments from the sidelines of last week's football game between Hersey and St. Viator high schools, which was named the winner of the first week of the Walgreen's High School Game of the Week.

Consequently, a Fox camera crew was on hand during the St. Viator home game held at Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights, and they captured the Lions' cheerleading routine and its band playing in the stands.

Each week throughout the summer, "Good Day Chicago" has featured a local youth team, sharing their passion for their sport.

Station officials created its FoxJox Web site three months ago, with the hopes of encouraging fans to upload content, including game highlights and team photos, while posting information on its blogs and message boards.

The fifth-grade basketball players have checked it out, but league officials urge their parents and fans to check out another site, the league's home page. Basketball registration takes place from 10 a.m. to noon on Sept. 13 at Olive Mary Stitt School in Arlington Heights. Visit www.ahyba.org for more information.