Copyright Chicago Tribune
Brothers Elijah Gaona and Nahlege Gaona said they drive about three hours at least twice a week to practice with the Dixmoor middle school football team, Grand Champions Elite, formerly known as Dixmoor Vikings. Elijah said practices make him feel happy because he gets to practice with teammates who have become brothers to him. And now, he said, the team has the chance to “win it all.” The Grand Champions Elite team qualified for back-to-back championships in Las Vegas and Tampa, which Elijah said has been a dream, but coach Dwayne Tyson, said the team needs funding help to get there. Tyson said it would cost about $50,000 to take the 50 team members and some parents across the country for the two tournaments. The team has started a GoFundMe fundraiser and made a plea for support Thursday night. Tyson said for much of the team, this is their “last ride,” as they’re aging out of the league. Joshua Poe, a 13-year-old who plays defensive and offensive tackle, said he has never been on a plane, and if the team makes it to the championships it would be more than just an opportunity for its members. “This would be a great exposure for us, not only as players but as young men,” he said. “It would be a great experience for us, just to, you know, go out, out of the city.” The team qualified for national tournaments for the past five years and also asked for funding in 2023, when the team placed second in Division 1 of the 11-U championship, a national title. Team parent Tamara Riley said the past travel tournaments have been more than just games for the boys. She said she has memories from last year’s tournament of the boys playing together in the hotel pool, singing, cooking meals, walking around a nearby mall and even visiting IMG Academy, a boarding school known nationally for its intensive sports training and holistic education. The team also got up and did school work together in the mornings, she said. “The whole thing, was just a good time,” she said. “We did everything together. It was really fun.” The past travel trips were funded by parents, local businesses and other community donors, Tyson said. But about 60% to 70% of the travel costs are still usually paid by parents, according to Riley and another team parent, Dawana Clarke. The parents said this cost has been hard for them to pay in the past but is especially difficult this year. Gabrielle Sanders, parent of athlete Kayden Sanders, said she had a baby three months ago and has now also lost her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits due to the government shutdown, making it especially hard to fund her son’s trip to the two tournaments. Sanders said a lot of the team families also SNAP benefits. She said the recent benefit loss has lowered available funds the families and community can spend because other costs, such as groceries, have increased. “I have three children now, so feeding them and I’m not working at the moment, it’s kind of rough,” Sanders said. “So it was me depending on the stamps because that’s what was feeding my children.” Tyson said much of his team come from low-income families, and athletes on his team have experienced hardships such as losing parents to gun violence or having family members struggle with serious illnesses. But they go by their motto, “find a way, make a way,” he said. Tyson said the team does a lot with limited resources, such as having only a few lights at the practice field. Wednesday night a few cars had pulled up on the field and turned their headlights on as temporary lights. Tyson also said despite the hardships, every team member is on the honor roll at their middle school with at least a 3.0 GPA, which they pledged to maintain for two years. Joshua, the 13-year-old team member, said none of this would be possible without the community. Parents said Tyson takes care of the team like a family, bringing the players and their families meals after every practice. Sanders said Tyson has been an incredible mentor to her son and really “sees him.” “He keeps him on his feet. He makes sure he’s doing what he’s doing in school and out of school, so I am honored to be a part of this team,” Sanders said. Tyson said he formed the team 16 years ago, when he came home from the Navy at age 24 and noticed young football players in his community were traveling all across the region to play. “I’m like, why don’t we do anything for our own community?” he said. Since then, his team has beat almost every team in the area, he said. Grand Champions Elite, based in the Chicago area, is a youth football program that mentors and trains student athletes both on and off the field. Cook County Commissioner Kisha McCaskill announced Thursday that she and Dixmoor Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts plan to make a $5,000 donation to the team for the travel costs. “We have to invest in our community, especially when we have coaches that are as dedicated and compassionate as coach Tyson is,” McCaskill said. As of 2 p.m. Friday, the team reached $3,455 of its $45,000 goal on their GoFundMe website. Tyson said the team plans to leave Nov. 25, be at the Las Vegas tournament for five days, then have a two-day break before leaving for the Florida tournament on Dec. 6.
