SOMETHING FOR THE KIDS
JEREMY WALTNER – PUBLISHER
On Friday night in Volga, Kadeyn Ulmer took the field for the Jim River Trappers as the starting quarterback — a position he will presumably return to when the Menno and Scotland cooperative reassembles on football fields over the course of the next two months.
It’s been years in the making for the Menno senior, who can trace his start on the gridiron, not to junior high football, but all the way to his boyhood years when he took part in Punt, Pass & Kick.
“It kick-started my career from a young age,” said Ulmer, who turns 18 in November. “It kind of got me into the competitive side of sports, which I think is important.”
Now, Ulmer is giving that same opportunity to area youth through the return of Punt, Pass & Kick, a competition that used to be run through the National Football League but today is its own non-profit organization. Youth compete and are scored on their ability to — yes — punt, pass and kick a football, and also how well they do on a broad jump and 40-yard dash.
The competition is open to all area boys and girls ages 6 to 15 as of Dec. 31 of this year and will be held at Johnny Woehl Field in Menno this Sunday afternoon, Aug. 28. Check-in is at 1:30 p.m. and the competition begins at 2 p.m.
All registration must be done prior to the event through the “participant registration” link at ppkusa.com.
“I had the option to make it local, just for Menno, and I ended up opening it up to everybody around,” said Ulmer. “It’s open to anyone who is willing to make the drive.”
Sunday’s return of Punt, Pass & Kick is a product of the Menno School District’s requirement that all seniors complete a project of their choosing. Requirements are simple, says Ulmer: 20 hours of work that is not for profit, a letter of explanation “and you’re good to go with just about anything.”
Ulmer came up with the idea for Punt, Pass & Kick while brainstorming options and was excited about the prospect of bringing it back.
“They stopped doing it a couple of years ago, so kids didn’t really have the opportunity to do it around here,” he said. “It seemed like a good thing to bring back because it introduces people to the important parts of football and gives everybody an introductory level experience into athletics, which I think every kid needs at a young age.”
Plus, Ulmer said, it breaks up the day-to-day of small-town living and offers an opportunity for kids to do something different.
“There isn’t a ton of stuff to do around here, besides working, especially if you’re a farm kid, and it gives you an excuse to get off the farm and try something new,” he said. “I think everybody should try every sport that’s available to them at least once.”
And he likes the idea of watching kids in action, something the Trappers football team already get a chance to do through a flag football program they have run on Saturdays.
“It’s nice to see the younger generation of Menno and Scotland football come together and slowly see that, hey, this is something I want to try,” he said.
Everybody who takes part on Sunday will receive a participation certificate and the winners of each age division will receive a ribbon and have the opportunity to advance to the regional level if they want. As an official local event — something Ulmer set up through Punt, Pass & Kick USA Inc. — those who wish to move on will have the opportunity to do so.
“They don’t have to,” he says, “but if they want to I will take care of it and help them along the way.”
And speaking of help, Ulmer will be assisted on Sunday by members of family and likely teammates on this year’s Trappers team “if they can make it,” he says. “Granted it will be Sunday and everybody will be beat up and bruised from Friday night, but if they’re able to help, I’ll bring as many as I can. I’m sure the little kids will enjoy having high school players they watch on Friday nights come in and watch them show off what they can do.”
