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Kevin Fischer is a veteran broadcaster, the recipient of over 150 major journalism awards from the Milwaukee Press Club, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and others. He has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for over three decades. A longtime aide to state Senate Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, Kevin can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, "InterCHANGE," on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their lovely baby daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.
Still time to register for annual BB tourney in honor of Franklin's Christine Rathke
My name is DJ Slater. I'm a
This year, it's the 10th annual tournament, and I'm trying to bring in my largest crowd yet. We are looking to get 32 teams playing for Christine's honor at
With that, I have attached all the information you need to know more about this event.
Thank you all for your time and take care.
Sincerely,
DJ Slater
History of DJ’s Court Tourney
The beginning: DJ’s Court Tourney began in the summer of 2000, born from my desire of bringing my friends together for a competitive day of basketball. When I started playing basketball in 8th grade, it was too late for me to try out for the middle school team, let alone even think about joining the high school squad. Nevertheless, I wanted to live that experience in my own way, thus turning my driveway hoop into my own “home-field” advantage. While most of my friends worried about improving their dribbling abilities, I honed my shooting skills and started challenging my friends in games of HORSE. Halfway into my high school years, I became difficult to beat among my friends in HORSE, and thus the DJ’s Court advantage was born.
I became restless and wanted more than just HORSE games. I tried my hand in a few 1-on-1 match-ups, but those didn’t satisfy me entirely. Even team games seemed to be missing something from them. As I watched high school and professional basketball games, it became clear what was missing from our driveway battles – that true competitive fire. That summer, I organized my own basketball tournament, but I knew just holding a tournament wouldn’t be enough. To get that competitive spirit out of the participants, I needed an incentive, so I bought a trophy, two medals and two T-shirts for the eventual champions. As for the location, the choice was obvious – my driveway court. And so, I named the event DJ’s Court Tourney.
DJ’s Court Tourney 2000, held on June 21, 2000, resulted in mixed success. We had six teams on hand for the 2-on-2 tournament, which followed a single-elimination format. Some problems surfaced, such as one of the teams leaving after their first-round victory and never returning, forfeiting their chances at the title. Despite these setbacks, the tournament worked out for the minimal planning put into it. We had a beautiful, sun-drenched June day for the event. To add to the atmosphere of my prized home court, I drew my own DJ’s Court insignia on the driveway at mid court, similar to how other teams put their logos on their home courts.
The 2001 hiatus: The following year, my mind wasn’t on summer basketball, but rather on preparing for my first semester in college. I debated holding another tournament for my friends, but decided to abandon that idea when I thought back to my disappointment with the first tournament. I felt some teams didn’t care much about the event and I was disappointed I dumped $150 on prizes for a low-attendance event. College planning trumped any thought about holding a second tournament, so I spent that summer focused on my year ahead at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.
2002: The revival: In the summer of 2002, I decided to give the tournament another go, this time getting eight, 2-on-2 teams to play at the
Christine was killed on Feb. 16, 2003 when another driver crashed into her on
In 2004, we had similar success, except we raised about $850 for the fund and had the same amount of teams return. In 2005, we raised almost $900, but held the tournament at St. Martin of Tours Church because we had some technical difficulties securing the
In 2006, we regained the
In 2009, the tournament moved to
Money raised each year:
2003: $550
2004: $821.53
2005: $850
2006: $1,220.50
2007: $1,350
2008: $1,340.61
2009: $1,200
Total: $7,332.64
Details
3-on-3 basketball co-ed tourney for ages 17 +
Sat. July 31, 2010
8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Interested?
• Send a $60 check (made out to DJ Slater)
• The names of your team’s players and your team name to:
DJ Slater, 8516 W. Beacon Hill Dr., Franklin, WI 53132
All proceeds benefit the Christine Rathke Memorial Fund
For more information, call DJ at (414) 416-2176 or at dj.slater3@gmail.com.
Donations accepted and appreciated
Franklin's Christine Rathke should serve as a reminder to local police
In March of 1999, Franklin entered the state championship game against Kettle Morraine undefeated at 26-0. While the Sabers failed to capture the title, the team was clearly the best in school history.
One of its amazing stars was Christine Rathke, a gutty, hard-nosed player with tremendous hustle and determination, the unquestioned leader on the team.
In February of 2000, Bobbi Roquemore of the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel wrote, “Over the past four years, Franklin has gone from a doormat to the dominant team in the Southeast Conference. Rathke, a flashy, do-it-all guard, has been the catalyst in the rise of Sabers' basketball program and has smashed records along the way. Rathke has played all four years on the varsity and owns the school's all-time scoring mark with 1,446 points.”
Roquemore told of little children in Franklin asking for Rathke’s signature.
"I didn't expect to be signing autographs, but I like it when the little girls come up and talk to me," Rathke said. "I tell them what it takes to get to that level."
After leaving Franklin, Rathke played for Southeast Missouri State University before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 2002.
On Sunday afternoon, February 16, 2003 at about 1:00 pm, Rathke was driving from a UW-Parkside team banquet heading west on Ryan Road at about 36th Street when a car heading eastbound crossed the centerline and collided head-on into her car. Rathke died at the scene. She was 20 years old.
The driver of the other car was Victor Sanchez, who was 19 at the time and living on the city of Milwaukee’s south side. He was charged with homicide by negligent use of a vehicle. Sanchez was speeding and passed in a no-passing zone at the time of the fatal crash.
Former Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel reporter and WTMJ-AM talk show host and well-known blogger Jessica McBride has confirmed that Sanchez was an illegal immigrant. Another highly reliable source involved in law enforcement has confirmed for me that Sanchez was in the country illegally at the time he killed Rathke. Sanchez is no longer in the United States. He has been deported, not soon enough to save young Christine Rathke.
Rathke came to mind as my blood boiled reading the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel’s report that some local police departments are caving in to a radical pro-illegal immigrants’ group. Voces de la Frontera is asking police departments to develop new policies to prevent officers from asking potential suspects about their citizenship status.
Shockingly, as the newspaper reports, “Some departments are going along.” (The article is a typical Journal/Sentinel puff piece. relating incidents intended to drum up sympathy for illegals).
We also learned that the Milwaukee Police Department, under the leadership of outgoing Police Chief Nannette Hegerty, implemented its new policy in April. And yet, despite the normally chatty, far from camera shy Chief and her spokeswoman, we didn’t hear about the policy until October 8th.
“Milwaukee police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz released a copy of her department's policy and confirmed that it was updated in April, but she declined to comment further. According to the policy, Milwaukee officers can question a person's immigration status or alert federal authorities only in cases of violent crimes, suspected terrorism, street gang crimes or other limited cases.”
This is outrageous on several counts.
The MPD institutes a new policy on procedures dealing with the public, but doesn’t go public about it for six months.
Police officers in Milwaukee are not going to question certain suspects about their immigration status in effect, giving them a free pass for possibly violating the law.
How many other police departments are going to cave to a radical pro-illegal immigrant group? Who’s in charge of protecting our streets, the police, or Voces de la Frontera?
Does Hegerty or any other police chief contemplating this go-easy policy need to be reminded that not long ago, one of their own, a Kenosha deputy was killed by an illegal immigrant?
Rathke’s and the deputy’s killer were both familiar with the criminal justice system prior to the offenses I referred to. Our lenient, politically correct methods let them back on the streets to break the law again, and this time, kill decent, innocent people. These deaths were preventable, but a system that isn’t tough enough on illegal immigrants is partially complicit for these deaths.
In our country, the rights of those here illegally are paramount. It’s disgusting and indefensible. Shame on any police chief or police department that develops a policy to look the other way when confronted with illegal immigrants.
Christine Rathke should serve as a reminder that too many people are in the United States illegally, and yes, a great many of them are not nice people who are only here to try to better themselves. Rathke’s picture should be posted inside every police department to remind our officers that illegal immigrants are here and they are committing violent crimes against the law-abiding citizens our police are entrusted to protect.
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