Old School vs. Young Blood - Chicago

[9 camera-phone photo's of Old School vs. Young Blood]

When you step into someone elses hood, it's like entering a strangers house. As soon as I stepped out of the car in South Chicago, the first thing I was told was that I was in the wrong neighborhood - not a particularly welcoming feeling (apparently any street numbered in the 100's is not safe).

After checking a dissapointingly emptyish Merril park (E97th & Merril st), I was mistaken for a white-boy hustler by some locals and directed to Stoney Island Park.

This court was loaded and yet confusingly, no-one was running next. I had managed to walk into a weekly neighborhood battle between the local old school squad versus the neighborhood young blood.

I slotted into the old school team to bang against the young dudes (anyone aged 26 up was running old-school) and teamed up with charismatic neighborhood legend Sean 'The Trash-Man' Wright on some old-school pick & rolls.

By reputation, Chicago is known for producing shooters (just like New York is famous for it's handles). The streetball moves on this court contrasted from old-school guys banging the low post to young guys attempting crosses and nailing jumpers.

Although I feel privileged to have run in this hood, i'm not sure whether open runs here are common - it seems like I just got lucky!

Stoney Island Park Streetball Information
Court Location: Corner of South Jeffery Boulevard & E 87th st, Chicago
Courts: 1
Runs: ?