ARLINGTON, Texas –Dallas Cowboys rookie players made their first community appearance Wednesday visiting students at Pantego Christian Academy in Arlington – the Cowboys' NFL PLAY 60 FITNESSGRAM® champion school.
The rookies joined representatives from The Cooper Institute® as well as volunteers from UnitedHealthcare in an assembly to recognize the school's physical educator Christina Van Dorf for her outstanding commitment to and participation in the NFL PLAY 60 FITNESSGRAM program. Van Dorf was presented an authentic football signed by Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and head coach Jason Garrett congratulating her for being named "champion" – an honor that will see Van Dorf mentoring other FITNESSGRAM site leaders in the Cowboys' market.
Following the assembly, The Cooper Institute staff led players and students through several components of the FITNESSGRAM assessment, including push-ups, curl-ups (crunches), flexibility tests and a few just-for-fun relays.
First developed by The Cooper Institute in 1982, FITNESSGRAM is the premiere health-related physical fitness assessment that has recently been adopted as the national test by the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. In the state of Texas, all public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools receive FITNESSGRAM. As part of the partnership between the NFL Foundation and The Cooper Institute, each NFL team is designated 35 site licenses – which includes web-based software, a testing kit and training – for schools and community organizations that may not otherwise have the opportunity to participate. To learn more about the NFL PLAY 60 FITNESSGRAM program, visit http://www.nflplay60fitnessgram.com/.
The Dallas Cowboys Rookie Club presented by UnitedHealthcare is an annual outreach initiative designed to introduce the team's newest members to the importance of giving back to the community. Wednesday's appearance at Pantego Christian Academy is the first of several the rookie players will make this year.
