The U.S. Army and a pair of Colorado Crush players ran a group of Aurora high school students through fitness and football drills Wednesday.
In a visit that was a mix of fun, inspiration and recruiting, the players tossed footballs and a trio of Army recruiters led a physical fitness class at Aurora Central High School’s two gymnasiums.
In the west gym, Crush linebackers Saul Patu and Anthony Dunn threw passes as students, some of whom are members of the school football team, scrambled to catch them.
The workout with members of the Arena Football League team was a lot different from training with the Aurora Central Trojans, said 17-year-old senior Alex Hickman, a member of the team. And watching Patu and Dunn throw effortless, on-target passes showed him something, he added. “I really can’t throw.”
In the east gym, Sgt. Greg Boudreaux, a 16-year veteran with a Louisiana drawl, and two other soldiers led the group in fitness exercises and demonstrated the finer points of standing at attention.
The Army’s “Be Strong for Life Tour” gives kids an opportunity to meet positive role models like Patu, who grew up in a rough-and-tumble Seattle neighborhood where drug dealing was rampant, Boudreaux said.
The tour is a partnership between the Army and the Arena Football League and brings its message to students in areas where the league has teams, said Jeff Graham, Colorado Crush spokesman.
The tour has visited schools in Atlanta, Philadelphia and elsewhere.
The tour, which stopped at Columbine High School in Jefferson County on Tuesday, also gives Army personnel a chance to let kids know that if they are interested, the Army can help them achieve their goals, Boudreaux said.
The kids, who received personalized dog tags and an opportunity to win prizes, provided contact information to the recruiters. “If they are 17 or over, we give them a call and ask if they’re interested. If they’re not, we say ‘OK and good luck,”‘ Boudreaux said.
Junior Keith Williams enjoyed meeting celebrity football players and working out with the Army personnel, but it wasn’t enough to persuade him to don a uniform, he said.
“I’m not going to go, but it was pretty cool.”
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
