Dribbling magicians

The thump, thump, thump of 50 basketballs bouncing on a gym floor all at once can almost reset the beat of your heart.

The Mini Dribblers are fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders from Midway and Farwell elementary schools in the Mead School District. They’ve been practicing together since after Thanksgiving and have been entertaining crowds during halftime of high school and college basketball games since late December. Some of the kids have been involved with the program since it began three years ago.

The group consists of boys and girls of varying levels of athletic ability. It is open to any student, there are no tryouts, but the kids must follow the rules.

“I coach some very competitive basketball teams, and these are not competitive kids,” said group founder and coach Ramon Farias. Farias, a salesman at Pitney Bowes, also coaches competitive girls and boys basketball teams.

The dribblers know how to dribble basketballs 17 different ways, including blindfolded. They perform dribbling called “the scissors” or “the butterfly.”

“It’s fun to look at the expressions on their faces,” Farias said. “They are really trying hard.”

They can do tricks, like spinning their basketballs on their fingers, dribble and pass while they form a human pyramid and they have a lot of fun doing it.

“You get to learn new things and make new friends,” said Chandy Thorn, a fifth-grader at Midway who is on the team for her second year.

At the end of their performances, the kids showcase what they learn on their own. There are kids doing the splits, dribbling, spinning, picking each other up, cheering each other on, and they are all hamming it up for the crowd.

“They get to do whatever they want so long as no one gets hurt,” Farias said.

Farias said he got the idea to start the Mini Dribblers from his hometown newspaper. There was a story about the physical education teacher in Zillah, Wash., who had been doing a similar program for 18 years.

Farias soon found himself on a business trip to the area and asked the teacher and school principal if he could start a team of his own.

The dribblers all have their own maroon and blue uniforms with their favorite number and their nicknames on the back, names like “Chand-A-Lion,” “Grinder,” “D” and “QT.” One of the dribblers, 11-year-old Michael Matson, combined his nickname and number to read, “Number 3.”

They are expected to be at practices and performances on “Lombardi Time,” meaning if they aren’t 10 minutes early, they are late.

Farias also insists that there will be no bullying or teasing in the Mini Dribblers. The experience is meant to be a positive one, so Farias wants to teach the kids to cheer on their teammates.

None of the kids are allowed to wander off by themselves. They ask Farias to use the restroom, and two other teammates much accompany them.

They stop dribbling when he asks them to. They also stop talking when he asks them to.

“It’s awesome,” said Chandy’s grandmother, Judie Thorn. “Ramon is kind of a drill sergeant.”

Michael Matson’s mother, Angela, said that the parents of Mini Dribblers were prepared for Farias’ “tough-as-nails” persona in the gym, since he won’t tolerate not following the rules.

“It’s not coming from a place of cruelty,” she said. “He’s fair.”

She also said that her son has gained so much confidence since joining the Mini Dribblers. He has learned about discipline, respect and how to keep his appearance neat.

He had been growing his hair longer, but Farias wants the kids to look well-groomed, so Michael had it cut. The dribblers are also expected to keep their uniforms in good shape. Their uniform shirts must be tucked in and the T-shirts they wear underneath have to be one of the Mini Dribblers colors.

“He loves being a part of the team,” Angela Matson said of her son. “It’s the reason you put your kids in sports.”

Since Farias has a full-time job and also coaches two other teams, his family has become involved with the dribblers.

“This is a family commitment,” said his wife of 17 years, Lynn.

The Farias children, Ryan, 12, Natalie, 9 and Erik, 7, are all on the team. Lynn Farias coordinates the performance schedules and keeps all the parents informed about where to be and when. She also sewed the blindfolds the team wears during the show.

To participate, the kids must have their own shoes, but pay $43 for the uniforms, balls and blindfolds.

The Mini Dribblers are an independent group that isn’t affiliated with the Mead School District, even though the kids are allowed to practice in both of the schools. The group was primarily based at Midway, but when the district’s boundaries changed this year, the group expanded into Farwell Elementary School.

For the rest of the basketball season, the Mini Dribblers will be performing during halftime at many area games. The group has already performed at a few high school games and a Gonzaga University women’s game.