The home of the 12th Man shifted for a short time this past week from its traditional home at Qwest Field to Glenridge Elementary School in Kent where Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant was on hand to present the school with an autographed 12th Man flag.
The kids did their part as well, responding with the same enthusiasm – and volume – that makes the home of Seattle’s football team one of the most difficult places for opposing teams to play.
As Seahawks mascot Blitz worked the crowd, the students and teachers cheered almost constantly, breaking into chants and trying to outdo each other in sheer decibel level.
So how did the din at Glenridge compare to the noise during a typical Seahawks game?
“It’s pretty close,” Trufant said with a big smile after the assembly.
Trufant was on hand as part Glenridge’s grand prize celebration for winning the NFL’s Play 60 and Washington State Dairy Council’s “Do Amazing Things!” contest, which encourages kids to eat right and exercise every day.
According to Linda Mendoza, health and wellness director for the Washington State Dairy Council, approximately 1,200 schools across the state participated in the program in which the kids earned “yardage” based on the percentage eating healthy and exercising over a four-week period.
Led by fifth-grade teacher Meghan Martin, Glenridge topped all schools in the state in participation numbers, earning the visit from the Seahawks Pro Bowl cornerback, Blitz, members of the Sea Gals and the Blue Thunder Drum Line.
Following warm-ups by Blitz and the Sea Gals, Trufant arrived to wild cheers form the kids and ran around the room slapping high fives before climbing onto the stage to extoll the value of eating right and exercising.
Trufant told the kids about his meals and encouraged them to keep eating healthy, even now that the program is over.
Martin, who was called up on stage to receive the flag, said she was encouraged to enroll in the program because she sees too many kids staying inside and playing video games instead of getting out and running around.
“I just wanted to teach them that eating healthy and the benefits it brings to your body,” she said.
Martin said she did not expect to win the contest, but praised the school’s staff for getting on board with the program, as well as the kids, who won the visit from the football player.
Principal Scott Abernathy echoed Martin’s sentiments.
“This is a result of our students doing a great, great thing,” he said.
Abernathy also added that seeing a professional athlete talk about eating healthy will stick with the kids.
“It lends authority when you have a celebrity like Marcus,” he said. “It gives the whole program credibility.”
As for the noise? Neither Abernathy nor Martin have heard anything like it at the school.
“It goes to show how excited they can get when good role models like Marcus come,” Martin said, adding that as a Washington State graduate who was at the school the same time as Trufant, she too was excited to see the player.
Following the assembly, Trufant slapped high fives with the kids as they left the gym and signed autographs, including Martin’s No. 23 jersey.
For the kids, the experience of having a professional football player at their school is one they won’t soon forget.
“It was awesome,” said Alex Hardy, 11, adding “If you eat right, you feel better.”
“If you eat healthy you can grow strong bones,” added DeShane Riley, 11.
Riley, who is in Martin’s class called her “awesome” and said seeing Marcus Trufant was memorable.
“It was cool,” he said. “It was a new experience.”
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