Runners are known to load up on carbohydrates when running a marathon and it looks like maybe these cheerleaders from the Marco Island Optimist Eagles Football league are doing the same.
Their first game was last Saturday and along with the players and coaches, earlier in the week, they enjoyed a complimentary kick-off dinner at Nacho Mama's Restaurant.
This is one example of how community partners can support youth sports programs with your Optimist Club. Often we look for monetary donations in return for advertising on the fields and the uniforms, but treating the families to a little something special introduces them to area businesses and encourages mutual patronage. Be open to what your business community can offer.
Besides, what's better than a free lunch? Parents will tell you a free dinner and no dishes to clean up after is always a winning combination.
Glenns Ferry, Idaho is home to 1,427 people. According to the Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor, 1,100 of those people are in the labor force. I don't think that includes native son Korey Hall who goes to work in Wisconsin - Green Bay, Wisconsin to be exact.
As a fullback on the 2011 Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers team, Korey Hall is now among an elite group of men who get to wear the Super Bowl ring. And less than one week after the victory, Korey is back in Glenns Ferry taking time to relax and feel at home. This video shows how proud the community is of the young football player and why they are not surprised that he came home.
As much as I seem to write about football on this blog, my readers probably think I'm a crazy fan. The opposite is true; football is probably one of my least favorite sports. However, since moving to Idaho nearly twelve years ago, I have learned how much the game has meant to so many who grew up here and played through the Optimist Youth Football program. The Boise Optimist Club started the program in 1949 and tens of thousands of children have learned sportsmanship and discipline through football over the years. That was especially important when Idaho had less than one million residents, only twenty-one years ago. Football was the athletic program for many youngsters who didn't have programs in their schools.
And of course it is easy to cheer on the Boise State Broncos, with Coach Petersen teaching the young men how to be more than just football players. He teaches them to be good students and good people, involved at school and in the community. He teaches them respect, encourages them to achieve the extraordinary, and above all to pursue balance in their careers.
So no, it should be no surprise that Korey Hall is at home today. It is part of the life balance that we all crave. I think it is important that this young man can show that quality to others.
What are you doing to provide an example of fulfillment to your children or friends? Are you comfortable being at home with your family or are you always searching for the next big thing? Please comment and let us know what you think.
The picture comes from a story in Sports Illustrated about recruiting practices in high school football.
The young man is Akeem Jones. He is a high school sophomore who just landed a spot on the South Florida Express, a seven-on-seven football league that was formed to give school-age athletes more access to sports scholarships by giving them more opportunities to play and be noticed by scouts.
My post isn't to chime in on the practice. I wanted to note three things about Akeem, two that are evident in this picture and one that is not.
Akeem is a caring person. Look at those pink socks. He is wearing them in memory of his grandmother who died in October of breast cancer. He provides pink socks to others who are interested in raising awareness for the cause.
Akeem has bigs hopes and dreams. Look at the passion in his face. He has a goal, a gift, and the drive to do what it takes to be successful.
Akeem is a product of Optimist Youth Football. According to SI, he is 6'3", 186 pounds and has a bazooka attached to his right shoulder.
Optimists know that he was a kid that needed an opportunity to play and grow. The Optimist Youth Football program was there for him as a child, teaching positive values and sportsmanship along with football fundamentals. Should he need them, his coaches will be there as he matures and makes decisions in his life. Most of all, they will be there cheering him on. Good luck Akeem!
The Liberty City Warriors, sponsored by the Liberty City Optimist Club of Florida claimed the first place trophy in the Junior Pee Wee division of the 53rd Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer and Dance Championships. The tournament was held on Dec. 12 in Lake Buena Vista at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.
The Junior Pee Wee league is made up of children aged 9-11 weighing between 60-105 pounds. More than sixty football teams divided into four weight/age categories competed in the annual tournament. Approximately 360,000 children ages 5-16 participate in the program each year.
Boys and girls get to show off their football skills during annual Punt, Pass & Kick Competitions throughout the United States. Many Optimist Clubs sponsor the competetion because it fits nicely with the Tri-Star Sports programs aimed at teaching basic skills to students in baseball, football and soccer.
Shown here are two contestants in McCook, Nebraska. The Optimist Club partners with Weiland Field and the NFL for the competition.
The Hereford Optimist Club in Monkton, MD was formed in 2001 and every year they have served their community with programs that include Shop with a Cop, Essay and Oratorical Contests, Adopt-a-Highway, Youth Appreciation and the Chain Gang.
Yes, you read that right: the Chain Gang. According to Optimist members, this is the easiest project to fill with volunteers. Every week during the school year, for varsity and junior varsity football games, Hereford Optimist Club members serve as the "chain gang" that measure and mark the ten-yard indicator for a first down.
They claim they have the best seats in the house. I have to say I agree. Congratulations to the Hereford Optimist Club Chain Gang.
Football season starts this week in Boise, Idaho when the Boise State Broncos take on the University of Oregon Ducks. That close rivalry will fuel football fever right into the weekend when the Boise Noon Optimist Football program kicks off at the Optimist Youth Sports Complex.
More than 8,000 children participate in this dynamic program at the multi-million dollar facility developed by the Boise Noon Optimist Club and the City of Boise. The football program began in 1949 and has always remained a volunteer program. Optimist teams are not arranged by skill, but instead by neighborhoods according to age, weight, and residence. The kids play an eight-week program and are coached by Optimist members and volunteers who return every year to instill good sportsmanship and leadership skills to these young athletes.
The Boise Noon Optimist Club provides opportunities for other nonprofit organizations to earn money manning the concession stands during the season. They have also expanded their program to adjoining communities by sponsoring new Optimist Clubs in Emmett, Horseshoe Bend, Mountain Home and Nampa, Idaho.
Over the past ten years, the Nampa Optimist Club Football program has grown in a similar manner and they also own and operate a facility in the neighboring community that serves another 4,000 kids.
These are great examples of how an Optimist Club can work with city officials,businesses, community leaders and volunteers to develop infrastructure and programming to meet the demands of a growing community. Beginning with football fields, the complex has added soccer fields, concession stands, playgrounds and most recently a tennis court. More tennis courts are planned for next summer and there is still room to grow. The community is grateful for the hard work of these dedicated volunteers. Thank you Optimist Clubs!
