PHOTO GALLERY

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Student-athletes, coaches, and NAU Athletics staff members volunteered their time Tuesday to help run a field day for the students of Kinsey Elementary school. The event was part of the NFL PLAY 60 initiative, which encourages kids to be active for 60 minutes a day in order to help reverse the trend of childhood obesity. More than 20 NAU Athletics volunteers helped make the event a success.

"It just so happened that one of our teachers is involved with NAU and she thought it would be great to have NAU's participation," said Kinsey physical education coach John Nazario. "It was great that the athletic department followed through and today's events went great. It was great to see the coaches and staff intermingling with the kids and the kids just had a ball today. I couldn't thank NAU enough for making this event the best one yet."

Half of the student body at the school participated in the morning while the other half came in the afternoon, with each session lasting roughly an hour and a half. After warm-up exercises and stretching, the kids broke into groups for a series of events which included football and Frisbee throwing, soccer ball dribbling, and tennis racquet and ball balance. Each session concluded with water balloon tosses.

"The kids had a good time It was really fun to play with everybody," NAU volleyball senior Lexi Sullivan said. "Physical activity is so important and we want to help keep these kids in shape so they are active for life and they want to keep playing when they get older. It's really important that we show these kids stuff they are going to love and things they will want to do forever."

While the school has held field days in previous years, incorporating the NAU athletics staff and the NFL's exercise initiative added new excitement to this year's event.

"We do this event at the end of every year and we make it a fun day for the students with three stations running to encourage exercise," added Nazario. "The concept this year was the NFL PLAY 60, giving the kids an understanding of the importance of having 60 minutes of exercise every day. The kids are buying into it and having a lot of fun."

The NFL launched NFL PLAY 60 in October 2007 as a national youth health and fitness campaign focused on increasing the wellness of young fans by encouraging them to be active for at least 60 minutes a day. Designed to tackle childhood obesity, NFL PLAY 60 brings together the NFL's commitment to health and fitness with a large number of partner organizations. In addition to national outreach and online programs, NFL PLAY 60 is implemented at the grassroots level through NFL's in-school, after-school and team-based programs, such as Tuesday's field day.

"It's great to come out and get a chance to stress the fun of exercise with the elementary school kids right across from the dome," said NAU football defensive coordinator Andy Thompson, one of several volunteers from the NAU football staff. "I want to thank them for inviting us and promoting the PLAY 60. Everybody had a great time and it was great to be out here on a beautiful day working with Kinsey Elementary."