T.O. TEEN CENTER OFFERS HEALTHY, HIP HANGOUT.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer

Chalking the tip of his pool cue like an old pro, 16-year-old Mike Carroll leans over a billiard table in the Teen Center Rec Room and sets up his next shot.

As 14-year-old competitor and friend Jackie Hylton looks on, Carroll takes a swift jab at the cue ball and pops the red ball into a corner pocket.

In the gymnasium around the corner, Bobby Benbrooks, 14, and Gray Sylvester, 13, share a few jokes while waiting for their turn in a daylong table tennis tournament.

And nearby, 14-year-old Tony McGraw drops in on a pick-up game of hoops among friends.

``I started coming here from even before I should've come here,'' said McGraw, catching his breath. ``You're supposed to be a teen - I was only 12. But I was coming with my big brothers, so it was OK.''

Regulars. That's what kids like Carroll and McGraw, Benbrooks and Sylvester are called around here. Like the hundreds of area youths who visit almost daily, they are among a generation of Thousand Oaks kids who are growing up in the Thousand Oaks Teen Center.

From organized camping trips to occasional Friday night barbecues, the facility's programming aims to please teens and draw them to the 9-year-old facility on Janss Road.

A weight room and various sports leagues draw athletes. Ramps and jumps please the skaters. A practice room indoors and organized concert nights outside on the West Lawn encourage young musicians.

Classes run the gamut from etiquette and runway modeling to self-defense workshops.

And while most of the recreational courses as well as the organized dances tend to draw hundreds of kids from the middle schools, a weekly swing dance class and workshops are aimed at the high school crowd.

``We can't meet everyone's needs, but we always try hard to offer a lot of different types of programs to get everyone involved,'' said Brenda Coleman, teen services director.

``Our main thing is to offer a safe environment for the kids. And the next thing is to try to enhance or complement their lives through recreational activities - the camping trips and other leisure activities that a (13-) or 14-year-old will remember for the rest of their lives,'' Coleman said.

And teens say it's working.

``I think it's really a good atmosphere and everyone feels really comfortable here - like it's something they can really be a part of,'' said Petra Bulcke, a 15-year-old La Reina High School student and a regular of the five-on-five girl's basketball games at the center.

``You can even come here alone, and you'll either meet someone and start talking or join in on a basketball game,'' she said.

Teens find mentors

Mike Carroll first dropped in on the Teen Center about four years ago and has missed few days ever since. He usually sticks to pool or the table tennis and often just hangs out.

``I think one of the reasons kids keep coming back is the staff here is really nice and always helpful,'' said Mike, pointing out the four recreational leaders on staff.

``Especially Dan - he's like family. He gives me food, he gives me advice, he's always around for me,'' he said.

Dan Nalbandian has bonded with most of the kids in his three years at the center. Like other staff members, he earned his university degree in the field of recreational planning and specializes in working with teens.

At 25, he almost blends in. But there's no question that the kids look up to Nalbandian as both a big brother and mentor.

``He goes out of the way for these kids, and they have a real neat relationship,'' said Mike's mother, Gina Carroll.

From the friendships her son has made to the activities he's been involved in, she said the Teen Center has offered a host of positive experiences for her son.

``He's at that age when he doesn't necessarily like to be at home all the time, especially during the summertime. I like the idea of the kids having a central place to go,'' Carroll said.

``And when you have three kids and the money is short, it's very nice that they can go there and have all these activities available to them that aren't expensive. It makes a big difference,'' she said.

While some programs cost teens a few dollars, most are covered by the Teen Center Advisory Committee's fund-raising account. Occasional Friday night barbecues are free to the kids. So was the watermelon and cold sodas offered up during the heat wave earlier this summer.

The city of Thousand Oaks funds the Teen Center with about $393,000 each year to cover the cost of salaries and maintenance. But most of the programming comes from corporate donations.

A $5,000 grant from Amgen, for instance, will help pay for sodas, decorations and fliers at the big dances while the Conejo Valley Rotary Club has pledged to reseed the west lawn.

Keeping teens coming back

Coleman said that the center's busiest season remains the summertime, when kids get bored of sitting around the house. Her job is to offer programs that will keep them active.

``We had over 700 kids registered for classes this summer. That's comparable to a middle school's total enrollment,'' she said.

But the center doesn't let up come autumn. The sports leagues and workshops, as well as the drama club, art courses and dance classes, are aimed at complementing the more academic curricula kids get at school.

And hundreds attend the annual New Year's Eve party - complete with a juice bar and a balloon drop at the stroke of midnight - as well as high school and middle school spirit nights and various dances throughout the academic year.

``If you have nothing to do, you can just drop by here - nothing fancy,'' said Alexandra De Luca, a 13-year-old Thousand Oaks resident who enrolled in a billiards class earlier this summer and has already earned a reputation for her skill at the pool table.

``It's better than the mall - you don't spend as much money. And you meet new people here all the time,'' said De Luca, an eighth-grader at La Reina High School.

The center's programming ultimately depends on the interest the teens express, said Recreational Leader Joseph Leniart, who organized weekly table tennis tournaments this summer after noticing a group of kids who had improved their pingpong skills.

That kind of flexibility is what keeps the kids coming back.

``I think the teens really think of this place as their own.'' he said.

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Photo

PHOTO Bobby Benbrooks, 14, zips a pingpong ball toward his opponent during a tournament at the Thousand Oaks Teen Center, which has been providing numerous, healthy activities for area youths for nine years.

Myung J. Chun/Daily News