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Health & Fitness

Hike! Local Kids Get Their Kicks At Brooklyn Tech Field

On the overcast morning of Saturday, May 18  at Brooklyn Technical High School’s football field, scores of children from the Bedford Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, and Prospect Heights neighborhoods enjoyed an opportunity to work out with Brooklyn Tech football players in a Punt, Pass and Kick competition. Tech varsity and junior varsity players instructed eighty children, ages  4 to 13, in a variety of drills familiar to devotees of the sport. The event was sponsored by Modell’s Sporting Goods and hosted by Brooklyn Tech’s head coach Kyle McKenna. Also hosting was Brooklyn’s Young Rock Soccer Academy led by co-directors Musa Kadiri and Magnus Mukoro.

Winners included Qumel Backer, Autumn Blizzard Christian DeRiggs, Sarah Fahhi, Zion Jackson, Kofi James-Dean, Sol James-Dean, Kaleb Jackson, Eva Melchior, and Owen Randazzo.

Children and parents seemed to be unanimous in their praise of the day’s workouts and contests. “The Punt, Pass and Kick event was phenomenal,” said Lovern Dyer, parent to Jamar, 7, and Deante, 4. “My boys had a blast and really enjoyed being coached. The (Tech) players made them feel at home, and I was impressed that the teenage volunteers served as both mentors and chaperones for the kids. It was an engaging and fun experience.”

Gabby Napolitano, whose seven-year-old son Dante took part in Saturday’s festivities, said that he “couldn’t stop staring in awe” at his new friend, Tyler Dougherty, a 6-2 wide[DJ7]  receiver and punter for the Engineers. “Dante was really excited to be with the older kids,” said Ms. Napolitano. “They were genuinely sweet with the little guys."

“The PPK event was a great opportunity for community kids to interact with the young men that they pass by each week as our football team comes out to practice,” said Tech coach McKenna. “As a football program, Tech is committed to community service. The young men on our leadership council thought that this event could make for a great day. I think that they were right.”

Modell’s Sporting Goods underwrote the event, providing equipment and gift certificates to the top finishers. “Thank you for allowing us to be a part of the event,” said J. C. Albano, Modell’s Brooklyn & Queens Community Ambassador. “As a company that prides itself as your hometown sporting goods store, being able to work with local organizations and provide them with personal customer service is just doing our job.

For Young Rock Soccer founder Musa Kadiri, whose youth group has shared Brooklyn Tech field for the last decade, the event was “a chance for our players to practice their American football skills, hang out with the Tech Engineers, and have fun kicking that strange oblong thing you call a football!”

Jelani Mashariki, director of the Pamoja House Men’s Shelter in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood and a candidate for the New York City Council, was on hand for the event and saw the value in unifying the beautiful game of soccer with its American cousin. “We need to continue to support events like this where young girls and boys of all skill levels and socioeconomic backgrounds can participate in activities that teach them to work together.” A former player for the Engineers, Mashariki continued, “Having this event at Tech field with Brooklyn Tech football shows that my alma mater continues to be in the forefront of preparing youth for academic and athletic success.”

Participant Kaleb Jackson, 6, said “the big kids from the team [Brooklyn Tech High School) play football smart!” Kaleb’s father, Gordon, added,  “Thanks Young Rock, Modell’s, and the Brooklyn Tech football program for a great Saturday morning for the Jackson family.”

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