The Hy-Vee/Sanford Legends For Kids program provides learning opportunities for young athletes by providing a variety of sporting clinics and camps. From the diamond to the mat to the hardwood and the turf, Hall of Fame athletes, all-pro football players, NCAA All-Americans and a recent Olympic gold medalist are among the nine celebrities who will visit Sioux Falls, South Dakota, next month.
Here’s our Legends 101 Q&A: what you need to know, with program director Brad Coleman, a Sanford Health senior public affairs specialist.
Q&A
If you’re a parent of a young athlete, why would you send him or her to a Legends clinic?
Legends provides a free opportunity for kids to get introduced to many different sports that they may have not been introduced to before.
What are the basic elements covered in the Legends clinics?
Each clinic will have a primary focus on the basic fundamentals of the sport. We want to give kids the basic skills in order for them to get a grasp of that particular sport and see if it is something they would have the propensity to succeed in.
What do the kids learn at a Legends clinic that they may not be learning through their coach or other training?
Our coaches and celebrities will not only be sharing tidbits and skills of their craft, but they will also cover good decision making not just related to sports and activities. The idea behind this is to expose the kids to role models and professionals who are more concerned about the development of each athlete rather than the success of each athlete. Teaching them to have fun, work hard and be a good teammate are attributes that pay off in life, not just in sport.
How does it help kids by bringing in big-name celebrities, Hall of Fame athletes, All-Americans, Olympic gold medalists?
This gives the kids the opportunity to meet and interact with someone they may have seen on TV, professionals that have reached the height of their sport, or a Hall of Fame athlete to look up to and cheer for. They may get home from a clinic and say “Hey, I met Adam Thielen today. He is a really cool person that truly cares about team work and has morals and values that extend to success outside of sports.”
How do the celebrities interact and engage with the kids?
Each celebrity athlete will be assigned to a given station in which every kid will rotate through and have the chance to have a one-on-one interaction and experience with each celebrity athlete.
How does this access to celebrities with an event like Legends benefit the Sioux Falls community?
We are a small community and it truly gives us the chance to show off how great our city can be to these phenomenal world-class athletes. It raises the level of professionalism that can impact the community, and the really neat part is our grant program. It’s not so much about the 3,500 kids that will have the exposure to these professionals, but the 35,000 kids that were beneficiaries of the grant program. It adds a special dedicated longevity to youth sports and that’s where the rubber meets the road.
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