By SHEL SEGAL
More than 100 kids from Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley attended a free half-day football clinic on Saturday on Robinson Park that was sponsored by the Tournament of Roses and Northwestern Mutual.
Led by college football coaches from several area universities-such as Pasadena City College-the kids, aged 5 to 14, took part in agility drills, offensive and defensive training, and character development.
With around 150 kids at the clinic, Richard Chinen, president of the Tournament of Roses, said it was great his organization was able to help partner with others and put on this event.
“It’s great to be able to have them engage with us,” said Chinen, who added this is the fifth year for the event. “We’re doing this for the community. We’re a community organization. We started with a parade, then we had chariot races. Now, we’ve got a football game and football’s huge. It’s great for the kids to be able to participate in something Pasadena is known for. What better way to give back to the community and these kids than to host something like this.”
He added he thinks the kids will have a great time at the clinic.
“I think they get a lot out of this,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of top-notch clinicians. They’ll run all types of drills, a lot that the colleges run with spring and summer workouts. It’s great stuff.”
Chinen also said he just hope the kids enjoy themselves on the field.
“The main thing is to have fun and that you can have fun playing a sport and learning how play right, knowing that if you are going to do this you have to be healthy and be in shape,” he said. “You have to work as part of a team.”
In addition, he said he is glad the Pasadena area is able to put on the clinic for the kids.
“It’s great when a community comes together like this for the kids because oftentimes parents will sign the kids up and drag them along,” he said. “But these kids are here to have fun and learn from the very best.”
Fred Fimbres, head football coach at PCC who was helping coordinate the clinic, agreed with Chinen.
“I think the importance is to engage the community,” Fimbres said. “The Rose Bowl and the city of Pasadena are synonymous with one another. I think that to engage the community and the activity the people think of with the Rose Bowl and Pasadena and that is football, anytime we can get young people out and get them moving and getting them some valuable lessons will help us.”
(Shel Segal can be reached at ssegal@beaconmedianews.com. He can be followed via Twitter @segallanded.)
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