Seahawks, fans turnout for Play 60 Challenge

WASILLA — When it comes to professional football, the Mat-Su Sea Hawkers’ love of their favorite team is unparalleled. But to those in the local club, involvement means more than just sitting around and watching their ’Hawks every Sunday.

Members are just about as passionate in their support of local athletics and activities.

On Saturday, the local branch of the Seattle Seahawks booster club hosted the Mat-Su Sea Hawkers Play 60 Challenge at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla.

More than 300 boys and girls participated in the six-hour Play 60 event, a nationally recognized program introduced by the NFL in 2007 to help promote heath and physical fitness, and combat rising obesity rates in the United States.

“The Play 60 Challenge is important to us. Right now one of every three kids in the United States is considered obese. Alaska is not immune to that,” Sea Hawkers club president Tom Spindler said.

Spindler organized the event, the first of its kind in Alaska, and a handful from the Seahawks organization made the trip to Alaska to help out. A pair of former Seattle players — defensive lineman Sam Adams and linebacker Orlando Huff; Mike Flood, Seattle’s vice president of community relations and fan development; a pair of Seattle cheerleaders; and “Blitz,” the Seahawks mascot, all attended.

“We’re stoked, especially getting the Seahawks to come help us out,” Spindler said. “The kids up here are always looking for some type of organization, an activity to be doing. But when you have celebrities come out, it’s just that much more of a draw.”

One of those celebrities is Adams, a three-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time Pro Bowl alternate who helped the Baltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV in 2001.

Adams was selected in the first round by Seattle, eighth overall, in the 1994 draft, and spent five years with the Seahawks.

This is not Adams’ first trip to Alaska.

“It was the highlight of my offseason,” said Adams, who has made at least four prior trips to the state to volunteer his time with Special Olympics of Alaska or coach in football camps. “It was part of my offseason I looked forward to every year.”

Huff, a Seattle selection in the 2001 NFL draft who also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons, is on his first trip to Alaska.

Both embraced not only their opportunity to come to Alaska — the group made appearances at Special Olympics Alaska headquarters, Providence Children’s Hospital and Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage earlier in the week — but to also assist with the Play 60 Challenge.

“We know obesity is running rampant in today’s youth,” Adams said. “I love the Xbox and PlayStation, those are great things, iPods, but you know what? When we were growing up as kids, we’d ride our bikes all day, or go to the park. Kids don’t do that anymore.”

Huff said he also grew up in that generation, where kids spent more time outdoors than inside.

“I think with all of the technology, kids are leaning toward video games, sitting around and not getting out there,” Huff said. “They’re not getting out there. Technology is great, video games are cool, but it strips away kids wanting to be outside, experience and explore things.

“Especially in Alaska. I’d want kids to explore this great state, not sitting in the house not experiencing anything.”

Along with taking time to sign autographs for fans, Adams and Huff spent time on the Menard Center’s artificial turf field working with the participants in football-style drills. The cheerleaders led attendees through a Zumba-style dance session and participants capped the day with flag football.

Huff said the experience goes beyond just football.

“It’s not about always just working out, it’s about being active,” Huff said. “Being creative, having an imagination.”

The event also showed the support the Seahawks organization has from its Alaska and Mat-Su fans. Team tradition recognizes the “12th Man,” otherwise known as the fans. Flood said the Seahawks know the 12th Man spans across Washington state lines.

“We’ve got fans all over up here,” Flood said.

Participating in programs such as the Mat-Su Valley event Saturday are important to the Seahawks, Flood said.

“The 12 to us is a symbol of unity. The fans make so much noise at CenturyLink Field, we have such an advantage on game day,” Flood said. “We want to return the favor, be out there doing things with the fans.”

Adams said he saw the support from the 49th state during his time with the Seahawks.

“Alaska has always had a strong fan base for us,” Adams said. “We just in general appreciate the support and the love we get from Alaska.”

Even though Adams won his Super Bowl with the Ravens and was selected to the Pro Bowl during seasons with Baltimore, Oakland and Buffalo, he said the organization holds a special place in his heart.

“I live in Seattle. They drafted me in ’94. They gave me my first opportunity to play professional football,” Adams said. “Seattle has always been near and dear to me.

“The Seahawks has always been a family that always makes you feel welcome, expect for when I left,” Adams said with a laugh. “Until I retired, then I became family again.”

Flood gave much of the credit for the success of the event to Spindler.

“The opportunity to come up here comes from the booster clubs, especially guys like Tom Spindler,” Flood said. “He organized this today, with dozens of volunteers, 300 kids, all the agencies. He did this. He did this all on his own. He looked at our program that we run down in Washington and said, ‘hey listen, I’m going to try that in the Mat-Su Valley.’ And he did.”

Spindler said donations from businesses such as Mat-Su Health Foundation, Community Sports Inc., and United Way were also integral to the introduction of the program to Alaska. Spindler said he hopes this is an annual event.

As a longtime loyal fan of the Seahawks, Spindler was also reveling in the chance to mingle with his beloved ’Hawks.

“Every day’s a beauty for me,” Spindler said. “I’m a Seahawks fan.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/matsu_sports.