[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
Patrick Chung of the New England Patriots arrived in Westwood on Saturday for a clinic on Flahive Field. Photos by Daniel Curtin
By Daniel Curtin
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Kids from around the community were on Flahive Field at Westwood High School Saturday morning to attend a free football clinic led by New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung.
Parents and family sat watching from the stands on the overcast morning as dozens of kids from the ages of seven to 14 participated in different types of football drills.
Lovely Patrick, who was watching her son, Kevin, participate in the drills, recalled that when she told him about the chance to attend the clinic, he jumped at it.
“[My son] Kevin is a big fan of football and also loves Patrick Chung, so when I found out about it on Instagram, I thought: ‘That sounds like a good idea. That sounds like fun.’ And I showed it to him, and he’s like: ‘Sign me up, sign me up!’” Patrick said.
In addition to Patrick Chung, his teammates, Nate Ebner, Ted Karras and David Jones, were also teaching the kids football fundamentals. Children moved from station to station, with each one focused on different skills like footwork, tackling with the proper form, blocking, catching, and agility.
Devvon Yeager gets a picture with Patrick Chung after traveling all the way up from Maryland with his younger brother and family to attend Chung’s camp. Photos by Daniel Curtin
The event was part of a Nike program, “Youth Football Captains.” The Westwood Recreation Department helped make sure the event ran smoothly, and members of the high school football team volunteered at the different stations.
Patrick Chung has won two Super Bowls over the course of his career with the Patriots, and appreciates being able to give back to kids in the community.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t have athletes come teach us things. Now that I have the ability to do that, I love to give back and show that I’m not just a football player,” Chung said. “I like messing with kids. Kids are funny. The most honest creatures on the planet.”
Suzanna Colton, whose two sons participated in the clinic and play Pop Warner football, thought it provided the young kids with useful lessons.
“The kids look up to them and they can use it as a platform to help them want to do something in sports - to be healthy and not sit in front of the TV all day,” she said.
Seamus Mehigan, who teaches in the special education department at Westwood High School and also coaches with the football team, was working with the kids doing agility ladder drills.
“The weather was pretty great … they didn’t overheat,” Mehigan said.
“I think it’s awesome when you can get a kid outside and running around for three hours in a day and age when that necessarily doesn’t happen all the time.”
