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Sunday, May 27, 2012

Derby days are coming to Pavilion

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Elliott Harris, Sun-Times columnist


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Roller derby, anyone- The Windy City Rollers will host the top 12 teams in women's flat-track roller derby in the ''Uproar on the Lakeshore'' WFTDA 2010 championship tournament on Nov. 5-7 at the UIC Pavilion. Tickets ($30 for one-day pass, $75 for weekend pass) are available at www.windycityrollers.com, Ticketmaster and the UIC box office.

*Added to the roster of celebrity bartenders for tonight's second annual Jack Brickhouse and Rudy Malnati Sr. Benefit for Children's Memorial Hospital are Blackhawks assistant coach Mike Haviland and former Bears tight end Jim Thornton. The event will run from 5 to 10 at Pizano's Pizza and Pasta, 1808 N. Waukegan, Glenview. Tickets are $40 ($20 for youngsters under 12) at the door.

*The Red Stars will hold clinics beginning Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. at Schaumburg Sports Center, 1141 W. Irving Park, with defender Elise Weber as guest coach. Other clinics are scheduled for Nov. 26 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Players Indoor Sports Complex in Naperville, Dec. 20 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Schaumburg Sports Center and Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Players Indoor Sports Complex. Information is available from Carrie Sear at csear@chicagoredstars.com or (708) 496-9517.

*Speaking of women's soccer, congratulations to Red Stars midfielder Megan Rapinoe and goalie Jillian Loyden on making the U.S. women's national team for CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, which begins Thursday.

*Congratulations to Lana Gehring of Glenview on winning a short-track speedskating gold medal in the 1,500 meters at the World Cup season opener Saturday in Montreal.

*Congratulations to Homewood's Mike Podewell, who was among the Sprite ''Bowling With LeBron Sweepstakes'' winners and rolled with King James recently at a Brunswick facility in Margate, Fla.

Things were going swimmingly for Dara Torres (left) on Saturday.

Well, except for the light rain and cool climate at Prevention magazine's ''Take Charge Tour'' event in Millennium Park.

''I only like getting wet when I have a swimsuit on,'' Torres, who has won 12 Olympic swim medals, told Quick Hits before appearing onstage for a conversation with emcee Kelli Zink. ''I'm not into this weather. Plus, I'm from Florida, so it's a little colder for me, although it probably doesn't seem like that for you.''

Certainly not for those of us insulated with considerably more body fat than the trim Torres.

''I'm here to talk about taking charge of a healthy lifestyle and healthy fitness style. I work out a lot. Not only because I train for the Olympics, but also when I'm not training, I like to work out because I love how working out makes me feel on the inside as well as makes me look on the outside. I'm very pro-working out.''

Enough so to consider the 2012 Olympic Games in London-

''Something like that,'' Torres, 43, said. ''I've taken the year off because of reconstructive knee surgery actually about a year ago now. I started speaking to my coach about returning and what his thoughts were. He had this smirky smile on his face and said, 'Let's go for it.' I think it'll be a fun challenge. I've been back in training about 2½ months now.

''I probably wouldn't be doing this if my end goal wasn't making the Olympic team. Age definitely plays a role. I am older. Who knows if I'm going to be hitting menopause.''

Well, it would be interesting to have the first post-menopausal gold-medalist Olympic swimmer.

''I'm not going to reveal whether that happens or not,'' she said. ''So far, so good.''

OK, so it's a long shot that the Bulls will employ James Johnson as their three-point specialist.

Still, he was perfect at it in Friday's finale for the exhibition season.

He made all one of his three-point attempts.

Leaving him 3-for-7 in eight games. Good enough to have fared better than Derrick Rose (5-for-21) and Kyle Korver (6-for-18).

Who wins a three-point contest, Johnson or Rose-

''I'll always have to go with me first because I'm a man, so I'm going to say me,'' Johnson told Quick Hits in the Bulls' locker room after Friday's victory against the Indiana Pacers.

Maybe his three-pointer Friday will convince coach Tom Thibodeau to run a play or two to set up a shot-

''I'll shoot it when I'm open,'' Johnson said. ''But coming off screens, I believe that's for Kyle Korver, Derrick Rose.''

There is a school of thought that Johnson envisions himself more as a Magic Johnson at guard than as the 6-9 forward the Bulls drafted two seasons ago out of Wake Forest.

''We got great guards,'' he said. ''I just want to step up and play the position that coach puts me in.''

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