Being A Buccaneer Is A Field Day

Every kid that watches an NFL game dreams of being able to step on the field, even you in your younger days had the same thought. Usually, that dream is carried out in backyards across the country with kids pretending to be their favorite player who always manages to make that game winning touchdown or game saving sack. For most kids, the dream of stepping on an actual NFL field is a dream they will never realize, but it doesn’t stop them from pretending they’re lined up with the likes of Jordan Whitehead and Vita Vea, but for some kids in the Tampa area, that dream became a reality.

This past Friday, hundreds of kids from Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties, all of whom were recognized the most improved students in the Jr. Bucs Fitness Program, got the chance to participate in the team’s Junior Bucs Field Day with organized events such as a parachute run and football toss with Buccaneers players on the field cheering them on and giving them a little help along the way.

“I think they watch the players do what they do, and it really inspires them to get active and see that they, too, can become successful in their lives,” said Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, owner and President of the Buccaneers Foundation.

The program, which was started early last year, is designed to educate more than 200,000 school aged kids with activities that infuse both football skills and monthly videos hosted by Buccaneers players in an effort to get children more involved in physical activities.

When asked why he volunteered to participate, Whitehead replied with:

“I remember being a kid and wanting to be out here. When you got a chance to come do drills with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for me it was back with the Steelers, I just remember being young and getting to see NFL Players for the first time, you always remember that for the rest of your life.”

With this years event proving to be quite successful, and with more children seeing the benefits of getting active and getting outdoors, along with the incentive of being able to hang out with some of their favorite players, this event is one that should continue for many years to come, and who knows, maybe one day, one of those kids might be on the field as a Buccaneer with their dream finally coming true.