TC at 6 to hoop!

That is the common tweet seen on Friday and Saturday evening’s by senior Qazi Khan. TC, meaning Teen Center, is a program provided for teenagers throughout Fairfax County to socialize, hang out, and run games of basketball. Khan is often referred to as the “Commissioner” of Teen Center and usually organizes and plays in the games that are run at TC.

“I just show up a lot and people think I run the place,” said Khan.

Teen Center is open to all teenagers in Fairfax County and is a free, fun way to spend a weekend night. Anna Smith, a county employee, is a supervisor at Teen Center. She collects waiver forms and makes sure all the kids sign in at the door. The waivers are to ensure the safety of the kids and to avoid legal issues.

“I’m employed by the county, and I work at the Irving site, Irving is one of a few sites and different sites run at different times,” said Smith

There is also an ongoing rivalry between WS and Lee. On Saturdays, players from Lee show up and challenge players from WS to games. The games mean a lot more to the players than normal, and the games often get testy. Only the best are picked for these games.

“Playing against Lee kids is more competitive ‘because we all know each other and playing someone different is always better,” said junior Hassan Hassan.

Hassan is one of the senior members at Teen Center and it shows, he usually puts on a show whenever he takes the court against players from Lee. Top players from around Fairfax County also come to test their skill. Players from DeMatha, Ireton, and O’Connell come to play games with their public school counterparts.

“It’s fun to come hoop with my friends from WS because I don’t see them as much anymore,” said DeMatha sophomore Isaiah Lowman.

No matter who shows up to hoop, you’ll usually be picked up to run a game or two with your friends. It’s better to be hanging out with your friends at a safe place than to be going out and doing things that you could get into trouble.

“Teen Center is the best. Hashtag ballislife,” said junior Matt Poulin.