On Saturday, April 30, several Freedom football players attended a youth football camp that was held at Heinz Field to help teach younger players about the rules and skills of the sport.
This event was part of the 2016 Steelers Fan Blitz, which was held from noon to 6:00 p.m. While here, fans helped kick off the NFL season by welcoming the new draft picks. Past and present Steeler players were also available for autographs and meet and greets.
Six Freedom Football players participated in the youth football camp section of the day. These students included Juniors Randy Simmons, Scott Lazarus and Christian Kraus, Sophomore Daniel White and Freshmen Zachary Rosa and Jacob Pail. At the camp, these players helped younger children from the ages five to 11 with fundamental skills and helped teach them the basics of football.
Also, these players had the opportunity to meet the first three round draft picks, Artie Burns, Sean Davis and Javon Hargrave. While there, they met one current Steeler player, Stephon Tuitt.
The first round pick made by the Steelers was Burns. Burns plays the position of cornerback. He played college football for University of Miami. Burns is 21 years old and six feet tall.
The second round pick was Davis. Davis played cornerback for a college in Maryland. In his first two years in college, he played as a safety. For the 2015 season, the then-head coach elected him to finish his college career playing cornerback. He will play the position of safety for the 2016 season on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ team.
The third draft pick was Hargrave. He played college football for South Carolina State. He will assume the position of nose tackle, a defense position. Hargrave was the 89th draft pick.
Not only did our football team get something out of this event, the younger kids that attended this football camp did too. Kids were there to learn something from older players while still having fun. They spent the majority of their day working with the young players on skills that are needed for their future years of playing.
According to these players, being around children as young as five helped them realize that patience and understanding can go a long way.
“I learned that is important to be patient with kids that are young,” Freshman Zachary Rosa said.
The younger kids learned a lot from the elder players, but the Freedom students who attended also learned something from the kids.
“I took away [how to] help young kids out and being around them making me a better person,” Freshman Jake Pail said.