Sooners Enjoy Day at Children's Clinic

April 29, 2013

NORMAN, Okla. - Members of the University of Oklahoma soccer team love to play the game. Many, including senior Zoe Dickson, have been playing since their elementary school days.

So it was a special opportunity for Dickson and the rest of the Sooners to share their love of soccer and living healthy lifestyles with the next generation at John Crain Field last Sunday.

The OU team and coaching staff teamed with the Notah Begay III Foundation to work with a special group of over 100 children representing 31 Native American tribes from Oklahoma, teaching them about nutrition, health and soccer.

"The kids were super enthusiastic and so sweet," Dickson said. "They were willing to learn and were super excited."

The free, three-hour clinic, one of many clinics held by the NB3 Foundation in the southwest United States, taught the children by having them go through various stations to learn about important health habits such as proper hydration, healthy eating and adequate exercise.

"Any opportunity to give back is an important part of who we are as a program," said OU head coach Matt Potter. "NB3 is such a worthy cause and event and is close to the hearts of many Oklahomans. Supporting the organization and event was an incredible day and to see our student athletes put a smile on the faces of these young individuals was priceless."

Dickson and the Sooners also had a great time playing soccer and joining in on scrimmages with the kids, who were delighted to play with the student-athletes. Dickson joined one group playing Knockout, a dribbling exercise, at her station after giving the kids some basic tips.

"It was a lot of fun," Dickson went on. "You could tell they looked up to us and it was neat to know that we can be examples to them."

"As a coach I am proud of the way our student-athletes contributed," Potter continued. "Kacey Burke and the staff at NB3 deserve the credit for putting on a great event. Hopefully we get to participate in many more opportunities like this in the future."

The Notah Begay III Foundation was founded in 2005 by Notah Begay III, a Native American golfer who won four PGA Tour events and is now an analyst for the Golf Channel.

The NB3 Foundation serves Native American youth who are mainly low-income and suffer from or are at risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes. According to the NB3 Foundation's website, www.nb3foundation.org, the Foundation "is committed to creating and supporting nationally significant and evidence-based models capable of helping to reduce the epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes and empower the leadership potential of Native [American] youth."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Enjoy Day at Children's Clinic

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