It wasn’t a typical school day for the Everglades High School football team. The Miami Dolphins hosted the ambitious bunch at their Organized Team Activity (OTA) practice in May. Although, it certainly was not football season, these Gators had the opportunity to huddle with the pros in the offseason and tackle some questions about the country’s favorite sport as part of the Junior Dolphins program.
The Junior Dolphins program encourages youth players and coaches to teach, learn, and play football in a fun and safe environment. The educational program is designed to give kids access to learn the fundamentals of football using the NFL’s top resources. Additionally, to grow the game, it works to educate coaches, parents and youth on the health and safety of football with a strong emphasis on character development. Of course, in the process they are building the next generation of Dolphins Fans.
The team was given a tour of the Baptist Health Training Facility at Nova Southeastern University and heard from Miami Dolphins Youth Programs Ambassador and Dolphins alum Twan Russell about the dedication and commitment needed to achieve their goals.
“Some of these kids never would’ve had this experience if we weren’t invited. It was awesome to see the Dolphins practice, see their structure, their work ethic and how they move around the field,” said Everglades High School Head Football Coach Rodney Rumph. “Hopefully, that’ll motivate these kids in the future to work like that seeing what they have to get to.”
As part of the Miami Dolphins’ commitment to the development of high school and youth football, the team will host high school teams from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties at the team’s offseason practices. The team visits are a targeted effort to recognize, inspire and increase football participation through personal connections centered on the positive character-building aspects of playing the game.
“It was great to have the opportunity to come out here. It showed us new ways to practice and to be more disciplined,” said Everglades High School sophomore running back Kelly Loiseau. “The explosiveness of the running backs and the work ethic they had also stood out to me.”
These activities connect to the Miami Dolphins “Teamwork at Work” initiative to level the playing field through the power of teamwork to inspire a healthier, more educated and united South Florida community.
