The Buccaneers' training camp is just an hour away, but it might as well have been another world for 100 Dade City children who got the VIP treatment at One Buc Place.
"This is, like, the best day ever!" Alex Menendez, 8, last week. Decked out in his Kellen Winslow jersey, he and his best friend Shayne Valadez savored the chance to run drills on the Bucs practice field.
"It's a lot harder to tackle in real life than it is in the video game," Valadez said.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization contacted Dade City officials to see if they could find children to participate. "They were really specific that they wanted kids from our area," City Commissioner Camille Hernandez said. "It's just so exciting for them."
Never mind that most of the children had never been to a Bucs' game or thrown a football. Some had never even been on spongy turf before. "Is this real grass?" they asked. "It feels like it's padded."
Gatorade Junior Training Camp is a free grass-roots program emphasizing education, exercise and positive choices for children in a safe environment. By the conclusion of the Bucs' 19-day training camp, more than 20 youth organizations participated.
Laura Kinsler
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