July 9, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) – ABC7 Chicago presents a special edition of “Heart and Soul,” hosted by Charles Thomas and Leah Hope, Saturday, July, 24 at 6 p.m.
ABC7′s Charles Thomas and Leah Hope host HEART & SOUL, a series of specials that tap into Chicago’s vibrant African American community Saturday, July 24th at 6:00 PM. An encore presentation of HEART & SOUL will air Sunday, July 25th at 4:30 PM on ABC7.
This edition of HEART & SOUL shines a spotlight on Maestro Paul Freeman. Freeman founded the Chicago Sinfonietta, the nation’s most diverse symphony orchestra, in 1987 and has been their Music Director ever since. He also is the chief conductor of the Czech National Symphony orchestra in Prague. Throughout his career, Freeman has been lauded with many honors including the top prize in the Mitropoulos International Conducting Competition as well as honorary doctorate degrees. Freeman talks about his career in music and his feelings about leaving the Sinfonietta after more than two decades.
Next, HEART & SOUL points the camera in the direction of the “Birdie Sisters,” Erica and Myah Jackson, who have been dubbed the “Williams Sisters of Golf.” Why? Well, since the wee age of four, the sisters have traveled the country swinging, putting, “birdieing” and taking the golf world by storm. To date, they have scooped up 28 first place trophies. And if being golf phenoms wasn’t enough, the girls also play the piano, dance, and have obtained black belts in taekwondo. HEART & SOUL takes a look at what makes these talented sisters click. In the final segment of HEART & SOUL, the program focuses on Blues Kids, a multicultural, interdisciplinary artists-in-residence music program founded by Fernando Jones. Jones’ goal was to help children and young adults improve literacy through music. Blues Kids focuses on how blues has had a major influence on American music.
After arriving home from San Diego around 12:30am on Friday, July 16th, the BirdieSisters jumped in bed only to get up a few hours later to pack for and travel to the Mid-West National Junior Golf Championships in Lima, Ohio. We arrived in Lima, Ohio around 7:00pm. Although there was not enough time for a full practice round, the BirdieSisters rode the course and practiced shots until after 9:00pm.
The BirdieSisters hit the first tee at 8:30am Saturday morning at Hawthorne Hills Golf Course in Lima, Ohio. Erica played the 18 hole outside course and Myah played the 9 hole inside course. The temperatures were in the 90s and sunny, in other words it was HOT. The greens presented a challenge for the BirdieSisters because they needed to make significant adjustments in their putting. They had spent the last 6 days putting on very fast greens in San Diego, only to be faced with very slow greens in Lima. This was a good test for the BirdieSisters, forcing them to make adjustments under pressure. Overall, they managed to pass the test.
Although Erica was competing within the girls 12-13 division, she was paired with three17 year-old girls because of her golf skills. Erica had the lowest score in her foursome both days. Not only did Erica win her division, but she also finished with a score lower than all but 3 graduating seniors in the entire Junior Girls division ages 12-18.
For the second year in a row, Myah came away from this tournament with 3 trophies. Myah won the Medalist award for having the lowest one-day score of all the Pee Wee Girls division – 3 over par; she won the overall Champion award for having the lowest two-day combined score of all the Pee Wee girls (ages 11 and under); and finally, Myah won her division, girls ages 10-11. Because of her outstanding performance on day 1, Myah was interviewed by a local radio personality on live radio.
The 2010 Tiger Woods National Junior Golf Team met up at the Callaway Junior World Championships in San Diego, CA, July 11 – 15. Both Erica and Myah were fortunate to receive another opportunity to be a part of this great team! Thanks to Stacy Stark, Roman Gonzales and the Tiger Woods Foundation for this opportunity. For more info on the team see:
The weather was perfect for golf when the BirdieSisters arrived in San Diego, CA on July 9, 2010 – sunny and low to mid-70s. They joined over 1000 junior golfers from over 60 different countries at this prestigious event where only the best golfers are allowed to participate. Practice rounds went really well for the BirdieSisters, who were playing at very elite golf courses. Myah played 18 short holes at the Lomas Santa Fe Executive Golf Course and Erica played 18 long holes at The Country Club of Rancho Bernardo.
Both Erica and Myah experienced 2 days of decent – good golf play. However, both Erica and Myah also experienced one day of course challenges. Erica couldn’t buy a putt and Myah lost 3 balls (one never came out of a tree, one went out of bounds, and one dropped in the water). Although they didn’t come close to winning their divisions, they managed to put up respectable scores most days and Myah managed to finish in the top half of her division. As with any world championship, one bad day keeps the trophies away. For more information about the results visit:
On Sunday, June 13th the BirdieSisters participated in “The Greatest Show on Earth,” performed by the students of Mayfair Academy of Fine Arts. Erica Jackson performed in two numbers, hip-hop and tap. Myah Jackson also performed in two numbers, jazz and tap. As usual, it was a great show!! For more info see http://www.mayfairacademy.net/MA09/.
June was a very busy month for the BirdieSisters. In fact, it was so busy we didn’t have a chance to post the schedule. In any event, below are the events that took place in June.
May 30: Piano Recital
June 1: Chicago Public Schools’ Golf Skills Competition
June 2: Erica Jackson’s 6th Grade trip to Springfield, IL
June 12-15: World Youth Challenge @ Bolingbrook Golf Course - Erica played on the USA Mid-West Team
June 13; Dance Recital at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park
June 14-16: Optimist Qualifier in Decatur, IL – Myah
June 16: Little Brother John’s Preschool Graduation
June 20-23: Little People’s Golf Championship – Quincy, IL
June 28-30: Country Youth Classic — Bloomington, IL
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