Maryland Athletics Partners with the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Terps to Host Free Health and Fitness Workshop at Comcast Center for Local Youth
2/15/2011 7:00:00 AM | Terrapin Athletics
Feb. 15, 2011
Register Today at TerpsMove@umd.edu
The University of Maryland Women's Basketball team has partnered with the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) in conjunction with the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative to combat childhood obesity.
Celebrated as the 2006 National Champions and ranked in the top-16 this season, Maryland Women's Basketball is in a unique position to represent, engage, and inspire young people in the community. In the face of a large scale epidemic, childhood obesity, the athletic department has volunteered to assist the First Lady and the President's Council to spread awareness in the Maryland community by providing an educational opportunity on campus for local area youth.
The Maryland Women's Basketball team will host a free health and fitness workshop at Comcast Center on Thursday, Feb. 24 to promote physical fitness and healthy eating. The Terps, joined by fellow student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, Maryland Cheerleaders and the Terps mascot, Testudo, will share their commitment to fitness and encourage the community to make a similar pledge.
The event will take place before the Terps final regular season home game against Virginia Tech and will invite local area youth to Comcast Center to listen to an elite list of guest speakers, including Shellie Pfohl, Executive Director of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, who will join the event to emphasize the Let's Move! message of healthy food, healthy play. "We're excited to participate in this Let's Move event with the University of Maryland Women's Basketball team. Not everyone can play on a nationally ranked basketball team, but we can all follow the team's example of having fun through physical activity and taking care of ourselves by making good choices about what we eat. It's great to have a strong team of role models encouraging their young fans to be healthy and active," Pfohl said.
Dominique Dawes, co-chair for the PCFSN will also join the day's event as a guest speaker alongside Maryland student athletes and athletic trainers. Dawes is best known for her tremendous success as an Olympic gymnast who competed in three Olympic Games, won three medals and has a permanent place in the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame. She is most recognized as a member of the gold-medal-winning "Magnificent Seven" at the 1996 Atlanta Games, where she also won a bronze medal and became the first female African-American gymnast to win an individual medal. She also earned a bronze medal with the U.S. team in the 1992 Barcelona Games and made a surprising comeback in the 2000 Sydney Games. Throughout her career, Dawes has won more National Championships than any other athlete, since 1963, as well as numerous World Championship medals. After retiring from the sport, Dawes became a gymnastics coach and travels the world as a motivational speaker focusing on passion, leadership, teamwork, health, fitness and wellness.
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The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. and end just before the Terps tip-off at 7:30 p.m. During halftime of the Maryland Women's Basketball game Shellie Pfohl will present the Terps' fearless mascot, Testudo, with the Presidential Active Lifestyle award and will speak to fans about the importance of the Let's Move! initiative.
Registration is now open. Join the Terps and the First Lady, Michelle Obama, in the fight against childhood obesity, and give your youth an opportunity to learn how to be role models in their community for healthy eating and healthy lifestyle. To register your youth today, please email www.umterps.com/TerpsMove.
For more information about the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition and the Let's Move! initiative visit www.fitness.gov and www.letsmove.gov.
