O Heroes Hosts
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
In one corner of the Moshofsky Center on Sunday, a group of UO cheerleaders was teaching a routine to a group of young girls.
At midfield, men’s basketball player Jordan Bell led another group through a game of “red light, green light,” while football player T.J. Daniel and yet another group of kids balanced lacrosse sticks at the end of a single finger. Outside, softball player Danica Mercado reviewed some nutritional tips while other UO students from the athletic department handed out fruit slices.
It was all part of “Quackin’ Action,” the annual service project for the O Heroes program that on Sunday featured more than 50 members of various UO programs, and more than 250 kids from schools in neighboring Springfield.
Quackin’ Action, said O Heroes co-director and UO lacrosse player Katie Marlatt, is a chance for Ducks to teach skills like sportsmanship, teamwork and leadership that they’ve learned from sports. Participating kids rotated between a number of stations that employed equipment ranging from soccer balls to football tackling dummies, though the activities only vaguely resembled actual athletic drills.
“They’re all pretty goofy,” Marlatt said. “You won’t learn much skill-wise with a lacrosse stick on your finger, but the kids have fun.”
The participants Sunday ranged from kindergarten to fifth grade. Cindy Nees, the principal at Mt. Vernon Elementary, coordinated the free event on behalf of the five Springfield schools with kids in attendance.
“A lot of these people are heroes for them, the ones who do go to games,” Nees said. “They’re recognizing people here. … They look forward to this. It’s a big deal.”
Quickin’ Action was one of the final events of the year for O Heroes under its current co-directors, Marlatt and sophomore T.J. Brassil from track and field.
“It makes these kids’ day,” Brassil said. “It’s a small amount of what we can do for the community, and it was awesome.”
