- May 3, 2024
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Damarco Evans, 12, sprints toward the ball during a speed drill. Photo by Ray Boone
After the main drills, all of the kids ran the 60-yard dash. Photo by Ray Boone
Braden Russell, 10, runs an agility drill. Photo by Ray Boone
Flagler Palm Coast offensive line coach Will Boyd instructs students before a drill. Photo by Ray Boone
Ethan Laupepa, 11, races an opponent during a side-stepping drill. Photo by Ray Boone
Kids race during an agility drill. Photo by Ray Boone
Jackson Lundahl, 10, sprints across a ladder. Photo by Ray Boone
Jordan Mills, 11, prepares for the start of an explosive drill. Photo by Ray Boone
Sofia Fretterd, 8, celebrates before crossing the finish line during the 60-yard dash. Photo by Ray Boone
Josiah Taylor, 10, hops during an agility drill. Photo by Ray Boone
Kar-ron Souvenir, 8, was ready to race. Photo by Ray Boone
Marisa Canizales, 12, sprints during a drill. Photo by Ray Boone
Tanner Gray, 8, prepares to tackle. Photo by Ray Boone
Three-year-old Steele Sword, the daughter of former NFL player Sam Sword, touches the cone during an agility drill. Photo by Ray Boone
Kids race during a drill. Photo by Ray Boone
Sam Sword, a former NFL player and one of the event's organizers, posses with the winners of the 60-yard dash. Photo by Ray Boone
Sofia Fretterd, 8, and Eliana Mendez, 7, pose with their 60-yard-dash medals. The two girls are best friends. Photo by Ray Boone
For 60 minutes, Flagler County and the surrounding areas' children were put to the test.
To make the next generation of youth "the most active and healthy," former NFL players, local high school players and coaches, and local children gathered together as part of the NFL's Play 60 challenge on Saturday, July 22.
The event, held on the football field at Flagler Palm Coast High School, challenged 122 children in tests of speed, agility and endurance.
It was the fifth such event held in the county but the first ever held at FPC. Matanzas High School hosted Play 60, which was launched in 2007 as part of an initiative to tackle childhood obesity, in 2016.
But for Sam Sword, a former NFL linebacker and one of the organizers of the event, Saturday presented more than just a chance to get kids active.
"Whatever positive message we can get to the kids, we're all for," said Sword, who played one year for the Oakland Raiders and three years for the Indianapolis Colts. "For me, it's about the community. ... It's about those kids."
