A special partnership between the professional sports teams in North Carolina is encouraging kids to get active. It’s called "Play 60". "60" is for 60 minutes of exercise every day.
At the Barwell Community Center in Raleigh, Carolina pro team mascots "Sir Minty" with the Charlotte Football Club, "Sir Purr" with the Carolina Panthers and "Stormy" with the Carolina Hurricanes helped to get 120 kids excited about physical activity.
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The three professional teams combined their influence to get kids moving again. "Coming out of the pandemic, one of the things that we learned from talking to physical education instructors was that the kids have been really sedentary during COVID-19," said Riley Fields, director of community relations for the Carolina Panthers.
The children came to the event through the City of Raleigh’s school track-out program. The plan was to send the kids through Barwell Park’s exciting outdoor "Panthers PLAY 60 Challenge Course". On and off rain showers forced a change indoors at the community center.
The NFL’s PLAY 60 initiative encourages kids across the country to adopt healthy life styles and have fun doing it. Fields said, "Engaging in physical activity that shows that using your body is a joy, not a chore." He added, "What we are really hoping to do today is to provide kids with a great experience of playing, running, jumping, shrieking and laughing."
The kids played through a series of different coordination and motor skills including football skills, hockey and soccer.
Raleigh Mayor Mary Ann Baldwin is excited that the team partnerships will continue to serve kids in the entire Raleigh region. She said, "The stuff that we are doing can really change lives. Gives kids confidence – gives them determination. It makes them feel part of something."
The Panthers Play 60 Challenge Course and playground at Barwell Road Park in Raleigh was opened to the public in July of 2021. It includes a 40 yard running track with a digital timing board.