Hi everyone! I am back with a new blog. I have been really busy getting ready for the start of school and a new soccer team. I participated in a NFL sponsored PUNT, PASS and KICK contest. It was in the Family First Sports Dome in Erie PA. This was the first time I ever did anything like that. I had a lot of fun even though I didn’t win. The Punt, Pass and Kick contest was sponsored by the Erie River Rats a indoor football team here in Erie, PA. There were a bunch of kids playing. There were River Rats players there helping the kids practice and do better. That was a great way to start the 2008-2009 football season. Get back on the web to see my next blog. GO CHARGERS!

A couple weeks ago I got to go to the NFL's kickoff for the Take a Player to School sweepstakes. I worked out with Drew Brees of the Saints. It was so much fun, I really liked catching passes in the workout. I also liked the when we got to ask him questions. He told us to never give up on our dreams. The only thing that was not my favorite thing was the jump roping because I'm not so good at that. But he's an awesome guy and I had a blast.

I am now in my first year of Pop Warner football and it is tougher than I thought. We finally got to put on full pads and learn to tackle. My number is 33 and hope to be a defensive back.

Well here's to another great Charger season, I think they will be in the Super Bowl in 09! 

On Friday, I went to watch the 2nd Annual Bob Sanders Skills and Drills Football camp. Bob Sanders is a strong safety for the Indianapolis Colts. He was the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He was born in Erie, PA, that is my hometown too. It is too bad I am only 10, because the camp was only open for high school students. But it was still fun. I have never been to anything like this before. It must have been a big deal because even a TV station from Indianapolis, Indiana came to cover the camp and interview Mr. Sanders.

The camp is 2 days. They were practicing offensive drills in the morning and then after the character building speaker they were going to do defensive drills. The next day they were going to work on special teams drills.

There were 300 high school football players invited to come to this camp. I got to watch players start to get ready for their football season. There were over 25 college and high school coaches and more than 100 other volunteer workers. I think that shows that people in Erie, PA really care about the kids. Bob Sanders said that this camp was important “to help kids find out who they are.” He said “Everything you do in life reflects who you are.” He also said it was important to be a good role model.

I got to participate in a press conference and spend some time talking to Bob Sanders. I asked him how he stays active. He said that being active is just a daily part of his life. He lifts weights. I also asked him who was the hardest person to tackle in the NFL? He said it was “Jerome Bettis, because he is big both ways”. He gestured tall and wide.

On Father’s Day, I exercise and Play 60 with my dad and step dad, as well as my whole family. I go on bike rides around the neighborhood and play catch with the “pigskin” (football). My dad has taught me to get out and get active.

My step-dad and my mom have coached my athletic teams since I started playing organized sports. My grandfather has been teaching me how to golf. My step-dad takes me and my friend Noah golfing.

My family takes me to a lot of different places. I get to see lots of sporting events. I feel very lucky that I am able to do lots of different things and meet new people. I hope you can get active and stay active with your family too.

Happy Father’s Day!

I like to go to the park with my dad. We like to play catch with our baseball and football. My favorite football players are Tom Brady and Randy Moss. My dad's are Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. I like to act out plays that happened. My dad throws our football deep. I catch and miss some. It is really fun. I hope I could play in the National Football League someday.

What do you like to do with your dad on Father's Day?

I pledge to stay active for at least 60 minutes every day. I love staying active. I love playing outside. Right now I have baseball practice three nights a week for almost two hours a practice. I like to be the catcher. I still swim at least once a week at our local YMCA. I am helping coach my sister’s soccer team and she has practice once a week and then a game too.

I play basketball and football with the kids in the neighborhood. I have gotten to go outside more at school, I`m going to a fieldtrip and we have to walk A LOT! We are going to walk on nature trails. I really like playing outside, I usually only play video games when the weather is bad and I can’t play outside.

I try to eat healthy foods. I like carrots and salads. My favorite fruit is a kiwi. It is kind of crunchy and sweet. My mom made us try Ugli fruit; it tasted like a sour orange. My favorite vegetables are red bell peppers. I like asparagus too.

I have been spending time with the Erie River Rats. This is an arena football team. http://www.erieriverrats.com/ They are a bunch of guys that have two jobs, they play football and they have a regular job. It has been fun going to these football games. It is a very fast game. There are only 8 people on the field playing plus the coach. The Offense can put two people in motion and not worry about being offside’s. The goal posts are only eight feet wide. That’s a lot skinnier than the NFL.

Activity Rocks!! Go out there and do it! It is easier than you think and way more fun than sitting around watching TV. Stay active! What are you going to pledge to do?

Well, the Draft is over and now it’s time to see how Harry did with his pre-Draft predictions. Harry’s Picks:

1 Miami Dolphins – Chris Long DE/OLB
2 St. Louis Rams –Jake Long OT
3 Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan QB
4 Oakland Raiders – Darren McFadden RB
5 Kansas City Chiefs – Glenn Dorsey DT

Here’s how it actually went down on draft day:

1 Miami Dolphins – Jake Long OT
2 St. Louis Rams – Chris Long DE/OLB
3 Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan QB
4 Oakland Raiders – Darren McFadden RB
5 Kansas City Chiefs – Glenn Dorsey DT

With Jake Long going first and Chris Long going second, Harry was pretty close with number 1 and 2. The rest of the top 5 went exactly as he predicted. The Falcons decided that they needed to address the QB position with Matt Ryan and Oakland just couldn’t pass on the explosive Darren McFadden. With Glenn Dorsey still on the board, the Chiefs chose to improve their defense by picking him up. Of the top 10 players drafted, Harry correctly predicted that 9 of them would be top 10 picks. Great calls Harry!

Hi everyone, its Jared here! I have been really busy since the last time I posted anything on the website. I had three days of baseball tryouts a few weeks ago. It is like the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft because the coaches look at you to see if they want to pick you in the draft for their team. You also have to do a bunch of different drills that the coaches think of, just like the NFL Combine. Some of the things I did were ground ball, fielding, pop-fly, batting and soft toss drills. My mom kept reminding me to do my best, have fun and to try to learn something new each time I went to a try-out.

I was really nervous. This was the first time that I was not an “automatic” pick because we didn’t know if my step-dad was going to coach this season. I went to all of the try-out days, even though you only had to go to 2 out of 3 to be in the draft. I just wanted to be sure. It felt sort of weird to be competing, in a way, with all of my friends I had made in the last four years that I played baseball. But we actually just had a lot of fun with everything, even on the really cold day that we played baseball in the snow, my feet were really soaked! It was frustrating not knowing which team I was going to play on. But I knew I had tried my best every day that I was on the field. I felt relieved when the coach called and told me which team I was going to be on. I know some of the kids on the team. My step-dad is going to coach, but it felt GREAT to know that I had earned my spot.

I loved watching the NFL draft. GO CHARGERS!!

With the NFL Draft starting tomorrow, from Radio City Music Hall in New York, Kody checks in to tell us who his favorite team, the Chargers, will pick…

The NFL draft is this tomorrow! I think the Chargers need a back up QB and a kicker. We need a better kicker under pressure and we need a better back up QB. Chris Long from Virginia, number 91, they should draft too.

Check back to see if the Chargers agree with Kody….

With the NFL Draft just a few weeks away, Harry makes his first round picks predictions. Let's see how he does.

1 Miami Dolphins – Chris Long DE/OLB

2 St. Louis Rams –Jake Long OT

3 Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan QB

4 Oakland Raiders – Darren McFadden RB

5 Kansas City Chiefs – Glenn Dorsey DT

6 New York Jets – Devin Thomas WR

7 New England Patriots – Vernon Gholston LB

8 Baltimore Ravens – Jerod Mayo ILB

9 Cincinnati Bengals – Sedrick Ellis DT

10 New Orleans Saints – Keith Rivers OLB

11 Buffalo Bills – Malcolm Kelly WR

12 Denver Broncos – Ryan Clady OT

13 Carolina Panthers – Rashard Mendenhall RB

14 Chicago Bears – Jeff Otah OT

15 Detroit Lions – Leodis McKelvin CB

16 Arizona Cardinals – Mike Jenkins CB

17 Minnesota Vikings – Philip Merling DE

18 Houston Texans – Chris Williams OT

19 Philadelphia Eagles – Kenny Philips S

20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Limas Sweed WR

21 Washington Redskins – Quentin Groves, LB

22 Dallas Cowboys – Felix Jones RB

23 Pittsburgh Steelers – Gosder Cherilus OT

24 Tennessee Titans – Jamall Charles RB

25 Seattle Seahawks – Kentwan Balmer DT

26 Jacksonville Jaguars – Dustin Keller TE

27 San Diego Chargers – Dan Connnor ILB

28 Dallas Cowboys – Brandon Flowers LB

29 San Francisco 49ers – Curtis Loft on ILB

30 Green Bay Packers – Brian Brohm QB

31 New York Giants – DeSean Jackson WR

Since I got back from the Super Bowl, I have done a lot of things. I still do all the stuff I did before I left. For example, I have been playing basketball, soccer, intramurals at school and helping coach my sister’s floor hockey team. I have still been sticking to the Play 60 Challenge pledge. I got to present the game ball at a Mercyhurst College men’s basketball game.

Tonight was a health fair at my school. There were a bunch of fitness stations like soccer, basketball, football, hockey, jump rope, bowling, bulldozers and builders. My mom had to reschedule my piano lesson for this week so I could go to the Health Fair. I hope Rich Eisen doesn’t find out because I promised him I wouldn’t give up on piano lessons like he did!

I took my friend, Nick to the health fair tonight. He didn’t really want to go, but once we got there he had a blast. I think he is starting to see that playing and being active is as much fun as playing video games. Do you have a friend that you can take away from video games for 60 minute a day? Try it and let me know what happens!

A few days ago it was our school’s Jump Rope for Heart participation day, sponsored by the American Heart Association. Everyone’s gym class got to do it. So I got to jump rope with my friends for fun in gym class. There were a lot of different ways you can jump rope- who knew?? What is your school doing to keep YOU fit! Please tell me what your school does or what fitness things it sponsors.

Talk to you soon,

Jared D.

Jared, our Play 60 sweepstakes winner, is back to answer some your questions. He has been getting tons of emails, letters and comments and now he's ready to talk.

What contest did you win that resulted in you being in a magazine and on TV?

I won the NFL Play 60 Challenge. The Play 60 Challenge is about getting outside, playing and having fun for at least 60 minutes a day. The NFL did this because of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a problem when kids are overweight at a young age. I was the first kid to win the Play 60 challenge. Staying active and being healthy is a big part of what I like. It was strange for me to have all of the questions about what I do. I think that any kid can do the stuff that I do. So it was weird to be noticed for doing my normal stuff. The interviews were hard but they got easier after a while. I had lots of fun. It was something that I will never forget.

How did you feel when you got picked to be on the field?

I was shocked and I did not think that I really had won. But it was not just about going on the field. The NFL took me places and I got to do different things with other kids. One day I went to a “Healthy Kids Breakfast” at an Elementary School. I got to tell other kids about staying active in my interviews. I was interviewed a bunch of times. You should go to the NFLRush.com website and read all about what I did.

Were you nervous when you got on the field? Was your heart pounding?

I was not very nervous, more excited. I felt very small any place I went in the stadium, especially when I was 10 feet away from Plax (Plaxico Burress).

What was it like to be on the field at Super Bowl XLII?

Great! The field smelled like grass because it was really grass from Alabama. Two weeks before the Super Bowl they trucked it to Arizona in refrigerated trucks.

How much fun was it to run out on the field and hand the game ball to the referee?

It was A LOT of FUN! I sort of felt like I do when I stop a winning goal in soccer, UNSTOPPABLE!

What was it like to hold the game ball?

Awesome! It is bigger than I thought. The ball that I held will go to the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. My mom said we can go there this summer. It is not that far from Erie, Pennsylvania.

Was it fun playing with Arizona Quarterback Matt Leinart?

Yes it was a lot of fun. He was nice and helped me throw the football through a target. He played with a bunch of kids that day at the NFL Experience. I think he was having fun too!

What team did you root for in Super Bowl XLII?

I am a Chargers fan, but I rooted for the NY Giants during Super Bowl XLII because they were the underdogs and because my mom is a NE Patriots fan.

How did your mom feel about the Patriots losing?

She didn’t seem to care too much because she got to go to the Super Bowl. I think she might have been a litter happier if the Patriots won, though.

Did you meet any of the players?

I got to go into the New England Patriots locker room before they moved all their stuff in. I got to meet and shake the hands of many players. These are some of the people I met:

Matt Leinart- Arizona Cardinals Quarterback

Roger Goodell- NFL Commissioner

David Garrard- Jacksonville Jaguars Quarterback

Jerry Rice- Hall of Fame Wide Receiver

Mike Carey- Head Referee

Do you play football for fun?

Yes, but not for a league. I play indoor and outdoor soccer, I just finished a 6 week baseball clinic, I play basketball for a YMCA team, I am taking swimming lessons, I help coach my sister’s floor hockey team, I have piano lessons every week and I stay at school once a week with other 4th graders for intramurals.

Do you like sports?

Yes, I play lots of sports. Mostly I just like to play and have fun so playing sports is the best way to have fun for me.

My friends, Noah, Isiah and Leah came over today to watch the Pro Bowl and look at all my pictures from the trip. Their dad thought my picture with Jerry Rice was really cool! (He is a Raiders fan. The only one I know in Erie, PA.) I wish LT played in the game, it is too bad he is hurt. You better watch out next year cause he will be there!

I was happy the Chargers players did so well. Especially Antonio Cromartie with 2 interceptions. But where was Plax? I can't believe that there weren't more Giants players there, they did win the Super Bowl. Adrian Peterson did a great job (MVP). His teammate, Tony Richardson, played in the game, too. I met him at NFLX. It was fun to watch him play a game.

I was surprised because I thought the score was going to be 44-42 Giants. It was one of the lowest scoring games in Super Bowl history. I like the Giants because I don’t like the Pats. My favorite part was when the Giants scored the touchdown with 35 seconds on the clock. I think the game was boring because it was a low scoring game. I wanted the Chargers to play Dallas in the Super Bowl because I have friends who are Cowboys fans and I love the Chargers!

By: Kody B.

Then, we waited on the field until after the coin toss. I got my picture taken with Jerry Rice! The players were all REALLY big. Way bigger than on TV. After the coin toss, I ran the football out to the refs. I had my picture taken on the field and it was on the Jumbotron. Later, they introduced me to the entire stadium and everybody cheered for me and my accomplishments.

After the game, my friends and family were calling to tell me what a great job I had done. This will definitely be something I remember for the rest of my life. I am glad I could share it with my mom and grandfather.

Thanks,

Jared

I got to measure my hands, feet and legs with molds of famous players.  I still have a lot of growing to do.  I saw the Vince Lombardi trophy.  There were 4 security guards watching it.  I got my picture taken in front of an old picture of a Charger player in the Hall of Fame exhibits.  At the Hall of Fame exhibit, the middle was a rotating stage that you could stand on to see everything.

I can't wait until tomorrow! The Super Bowl is almost here!  I don't think I will ever forget this awesome experience.  Did you know that the University of Phoenix stadium's grass is actually from Alabama?  The grass can be rolled in and out of the stadium.

Thanks to everybody who is checking in and leaving me posts.  It is fun reading everybody's comments.

C-ya,

Jared

Today, we spent some time checking out Phoenix.  We went to the Phoenix Zoo.  It is a great zoo, especially for kids. We saw a lot of animals that are not at the Erie, PA zoo. There were cacti (cactus) and lots of trees I had never seen before. My favorite part of the zoo was the rope spider web I could climb.

After the zoo, we went back to the stadium. We had to go over what I was going to do for the Super Bowl.  A member of the NFL event staff helped me practice running on the field.  I had to pretend to be holding the football. He told me I couldn't drop the ball or trip.  I am going to sleep with the football until game day for good luck!

I am having so much fun.  Everybody from the NFL has been really nice. Tomorrow I get to go back to the NFL Experience.  Maybe I can get some football cards signed.

More tomorrow...  Jared

We were all really busy today.

Today, we went to Clarendon Elementary school for the NFLRUSH Healthy Character Breakfast.  There were over 1,000 kids at the school. The players talked a lot about how to stay healthy and stay active.  The students thought it was great to have football players at their school.  After breakfast, we went outside and exercised at different football stations.

When everything was over at the school, we went to the University of Phoenix Stadium.  We got to walk around the stadium and even got to go inside the Patriots locker room.  Then we went out on the field and played with a football that they gave me.

Later, we went to the NFL YET Press Conference in South Phoenix.  The NFL gave a bunch of money to support the local school in that area.  I think it will provide a great opportunity for kids in that school.

Mrs. Fuller, please tell my teachers that I am doing my homework.  Hi to all that left me a comment on the NFLRUSH website.  Keep checking back so I can share my trip with you.

Until tomorrow…  Jared

Our flight last night was fun. I fly a lot because my dad lives in Georgia. I liked the movie they played on the flight called "Nanny Diaries", but the second time from Houston to Phoenix, it wasn't as good!

Today I got to go to Kids Day at the NFL Experience presented by The Home Depot and it was just for kids! It was cool to see so many players helping and playing with all of us kids. There were over 1,000 kids from Arizona schools. The actual structures where they had all of the events were really cool, too. I was really excited to meet NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He is cool and I met Matt Lineart. He is really tall and he was helping kids learn how to throw a football. There were running, throwing, and kicking drills. My favorite was the punt return stuff.

I am so EXCITED about everything. This is definitely better than being in school! Got-A-Go! I am going swimming here in Arizona, where it is much warmer than Erie, PA!!

C-Ya tomorrow!

Jared

Once a year, NFL teams join with United Way for a national day of community service and this year it was our NFL/YET center! Eleven Club members were given the opportunity to help with this project and interact with the Detroit Lions players, just to name a few: Shaun Rogers, Shaun Cody, George Foster and Dan Orlovsky. The members were able to ask fitness related questions to the Lions and challenged them in some of the athletic exercises on our new fitness trail. The members here at Dick & Sandy Campus are looking forward to when the weather gets warmer so that we can go and get fit on the trail. The members also met the one and only ROARY!!! Roary is the Lions’ team mascot. After the outside events were finished the players came into the club and interacted with all the members inside.

By: Khaila K.

Antonio Gates helping me do football plays.

When the Chargers won I was happy. I watched the game at my Dad’s house in Hemet. We had friends over and we ate chips and salsa. I was nervous because I thought Antonio Gates had broken his foot. Gates is a good catcher and he helped me do some football plays when he visited my school, Miller School. I thought we would lose because LT hurt his foot and Philip Rivers got hurt because he hurt his knee.

I think THE CHARGERS will beat the Patriots for the AFC championship because LT, Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates will all play. I wear my Antonio Gates jersey on game days. Today, everyone at my school is wearing Chargers colors, t-shirts and hats.

By: Kody B.

A host of dignitaries and special guests cut the ceremonial ribbon. The NFL YET Center is officially open!

Thanks to the National Football League, Detroit Super Bowl XL host committee and sponsors, City of Detroit, Detroit Housing Commission, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and devoted community leaders Richard and Sandra Dauch, this club became a reality.
Our outstanding 32,000 square foot structure took less than one year to complete. When our club opened on June 18, 2007, we had a lot of children attend. We had 838 members enrolled in our 2007 summer program.
Currently our Club membership is 1,155. We have many great programs going on in our building that excites many members’ interest. The club has a lot of support and we are doing our part, as members, to keep our club up as a positive place for kids.

By: Khaila K.