On Tuesday, September 19, the students of Mary Bramlett Elementary School were in for a surprise as they were joined at the Reservation with Carolina Panther football players and cheerleaders. Damiere Byrd and Shaq Thompson, two football players for the Carolina Panthers, walked around and spoke to the children as they went from station to station. At each station, the children performed different football drills to get their sixty minutes of physical activity. Joined by Byrd and Thompson were the TopCat Cheerleaders and Sir Purr.

According to the Fuel Up to Play 60 website, “Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activity program launched by National Dairy Council and NFL, in collaboration with the USDA, to help encourage today’s youth to lead healthier lives.”

At the setup at the Reservation, students were able to move from activity to activity, performing different drills for different positions such as QB and WR. Students from Mary Bramlett spent only a few minutes at each stop, the goal being to complete each station once to stay active and gain their sixty minutes of play for the day.

As a member of Teacher Cadet, I had the opportunity to participate in Fuel Up to Play 60. I had the chance to help set up before, and also had the chance to participate by helping the kids navigate through each of the stations. Watching the kids be so eager to participate in something that is so good for them was definitely one of my favorite parts. The kids loved being able to meet and show off their dance moves to the football players, loved cheering and shaking the pom poms of the TopCats, and even got the chance to throw the football with Sir Purr. It was a great day and a great experience to see how being active for just sixty minutes a day can improve your mood, and in the long run, your health.