Passing the ball to a new generation

Though football season has long since passed, the Pierce College football team took some time from their rigorous offseason training schedule yesterday to lend a helping hand to the community

Six Brahmas; quarterback Matt Wabby, running backs David Hill and Jamar Trotter, defensive back Jonathan Tinajero-Alvarez, defensive lineman Alex Martinez and offensive lineman Andre Reese, accompanied by coach Dave Ochoa; spent the morning mentoring and teaching football fundamentals to the students of Nestle Avenue Elementary School in Tarzana.

The event was the brainchild of Parent Teacher Association member Nancy Supanich as her school was set to put on a “fitness fair” as referred to by Ochoa.

Tennis players from Braemar Country Club visited the students while parent volunteers put on volleyball, soccer, Frisbee and hula-hoop clinics, but Supanich felt something was missing.

“I wanted this to be a field-day and I was thinking of who we could bring that were like local celebrities,” she explained. “That’s what I came up with was the Pierce football team and I’ll tell you the kids just loved seeing them.”

Ochoa divided the players into four stations for students to visit: Wabby instructed students how to properly handle and throw a football, Tinajero-Alvarez demonstrated backpedaling among other defensive techniques and the tandem of Hill and Trotter took young running backs under their wings.

But what the kids enjoyed the most was the tackling demonstration led by Martinez and Reese.

“One of the best things was that they had brought this big, yellow pad and the kids came and tackled it and everybody had a lot of fun doing that,” said Supanich.

Ochoa, however, observed things slightly differently.

“Actually, I think [Martinez] was the tackling dummy,” he joked. “They were crashing into him more than the bag.”

In all, students, parents and players alike viewed the day as a success.

“It was a real fun experience,” said Martinez. “I’ve never done that before, so this was a real good experience. It also helped our team in a way by helping us come together as a team. It helps us build character and to not shy away from volunteering and helping people like that.”

The Brahmas, who participated in a similar event in 2007 but skipped last year due to the school’s focusing on transitioning in a new principal, were such a hit that they may be called upon again to volunteer.

“If we can do something like this every year to get the kids outside with key programs being so limited in the public school system now – to have something like this which gets them outside trying different sports and just having some role models – it’s good for them,” said Supanich. “We just want to express out gratitude and thanks to the team for taking the time out of their schedules to come out on a rainy day and just be so willing to work with the kids.”