Shootout kids revel in fashion, fun, face painting

There were the attention-grabbers like the Tucson Mountain Aztecs 10-and-under squad, which pulled out all stops in getting two banner-carrying parents to dress in authentic Aztec tribal attire, replete with massive feather head-dresses.
"There are a lot of people here. And I think everyone is looking around at how we look, and I like that," said the Aztecs' Edgar Venalonso, 10. "I really like all the costumes."
Each of the Aztecs' players was decked out in a mariachi-style black sombrero, a nod to the heritage of many of the players on the team.
"This is the Shootout. It's a big tournament, so we wanted to pull out all the stops," said Aztecs assistant coach Jose Luis Moreno. "It's about pride. We have a rich Mexican and Native American history on this team, and we wanted our kids to show it."
There are 580 games scheduled to be played over the next two days at 11 sites throughout the city. But bracket play was no part in the opening ceremonies; the night was all about the festivities.
Tucson Association of Realtors CEO Rick Hodges, who was once an opening singing act for Bob Hope at shows in Ohio, and grandson Caleb started the night with the national anthem, and then the torch was lit to officially start the Shootout.
Like the Aztecs, many other teams who marched around the park wanted to allude to their background with their gear.
And then there were others that didn't pretend to have any meaning.
Just ask 13-year-old Joy Johnson, who started attending the tourney as an 8-month old spectator. She, and the rest of her Pinteop White Mountain Ice U-14 girls squad did a spur-of-the-moment, half-face hand-slap in red paint to give each other some flavor.
"We were bored and needed to do something," said Johnson. "So we wanted to show that we were different, and that was what we decided on. The only bad part was some of the girls don't think the paint is ever gonna come off. But it will."
The Tempe Pros' White U-10 girls crew went with a rock theme. Think Michael Jackson-style hat, only plastic, and the trademark dark sunglasses.
"We're trying to get on the front page," Jaila Nero, 10, said of the Pros' reasons behind getting sharp for the occasion.
Following the Parade of Teams came the Soccer Olympics, which involves a series of challenges — juggling, dribbling and shooting — with competitors getting a chance to square off before the real action begins this morning at 7:45.
"I want to start playing right now," said Alex Scheid, 9, of the Sonoita-Elgin Mustangs. "I'm ready right now."