Are you ready for some football?
As the Super Bowl drew near, football seemed to be on most every Minnesotans mind. As Minnesota welcomed the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles for the Big Game, dairy farmers were gearing up for the Super Bowl as well.
Having never attended a Super Bowl, I had no idea all the surrounding activities that happen in the host city. For one week prior to the game, there were events, parties, displays, and concerts. Many of these included the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. If you haven't heard of this program, it is a school nutrition and exercise program launched by National Dairy Council and the National football League in collabaration with the USDA to improve health and wellness for kids. The key to Fuel Up to Play 60's success is having a strong student foundation, a team of committed educators and community engagement, with the goal of building a healthy, high-achieving generation of youth.
Dairy farmers participated at several FUTP60 events during Super Bowl week. Daughter Sara and I were involved in the "Super Bowl Experience" which is sort-of a fair with displays and activities around anything and everything football. Attendees could view past Super Bowl rings, get up close to the Lombardi trophy, observe NFL broadcasts in the making, and even do the combine drills. It was a huge week-long celebration, but the part I enjoyed the most was assisting with the Fuel Up to Play 60 area in the kids zone.
Dairy farmers manned a booth which gave football fans the opportunity to visit a dairy farm (and NFL locker room) through a virtual reality game. Here's Sara helping a fan get ready to play the VR game.
As with any big, well attended event, fans waited in long lines. This gave us a great opportunity to speak about our farm, dairy foods, the importance of eating right, and also explain the FUTP60 program. It was a fun time to answer questions and even teach through the trivia we shared. My favorite questions was, "I didn't know you had to milk cows every day. When do you go on vacation?" Here Sara is explaining what happens in each of the buildings on a dairy farm.
The cheese samples we handed out were a big score too!
I also had the opportunity to be the "special guest" as school age children were invited to the skills and drills field. Students were welcomed by a dairy farmer and an NFL player to get in their 60 minutes of physical activity by participating in on-field drills. I was paired with Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs.
We began by sharing about ourselves so I got to tell about my dairy farm, what we do each day on the farm, and what happens to the milk when it leaves the farm. After Kareem shared about being a pro football player, and also telling us that chocolate milk is the BEST, we led the kids through the activities. Below is a relay showing the importance of eating right every single day!
I am proud to be a part of the dairy community that puts a strong emphasis on the health of our youth. I appreciate that dairy farmers have the chance to collaborate with the National Football League to encourage exercise and good nutrition.
After the group picture, the students pledged to continue to lead a healthy lifestyle by eating right and getting their 60 minutes of activity each day.
Being a part of the Super Bowl Experience was great, and rubbing elbows with NFL players wasn't too bad either ; )
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