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Family Fun Day Draws 1,690 Fans

Sponsored by Viking Coca Cola of River Falls

By Amanda Kane
University Communications

Family Fun Day, sponsored by Viking Coca Cola of River Falls, proved to be an exciting time for many fans on Saturday at the Ramer Field Sports Complex. A total of 1,690 fans participated in the event that included watching the Kansas City Chiefs practice in an inter-squad scrimmage.

With weather unpredictable and changing fast, fans were not sure what to expect. It was pouring rain just before the event started and it was partly cloudy with a light breeze to kick off the event. When the autograph session began right before the intra-squad scrimmage, a scorching sun came out and hardly any clouds were to be seen. Around 3:40 p.m. however, just at the end of practice, it began to rain again.

Several events were part of the day including free face painting, souvenir and concession stands, and the Chiefs Experience. Unfortunately, due to the weather, skydivers from the Indianhead Sport and Parachute Club, were cancelled.

The Chiefs Experience was located in the southeast corner of Ramer Field. Fans of all ages were able to participate in the four stations. The four stations that tested fan skills included catching, an obstacle course, chip shot (kicking), and precision passing. The catching and quarterback station consisted of trying to catch five passes. If fans caught a pass, they took a step back to the next line. The next station was the obstacle course and fans were working against the clock to see how long it would take to complete the course while carrying the football. After participants completed the obstacle course, they moved onto the chip shot. They got three tries to kick the football through the uprights at either the five, 10 or 15-yard line. The last station was the precision station, where participants threw the football five times to try to make it through the cutout hole by KC Wolf's, the Kansas City Chiefs mascot, hands. As soon as participants completed the Chiefs Experience they received free Vitamin water on behalf of the Family Fun Day sponsor, Viking Coca Cola of River Falls. There were a total of over 327 participants. A special thanks goes out to all of the volunteers from UW-River Falls Track & Field team, the River Falls High School Wildcat football team and UW-River Falls students Joan Wangui and Alifa Momin.

UWRF Chancellor Dean Van Galen and Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioli addressed the fans before the autograph session. Van Galen began by welcoming all fans to the training camp and thanked them all for attending. “We enjoy having the Chiefs in River Falls,” said Van Galen, “we have built a relationship between the River Falls community, the campus and the Chiefs. Thanks to all the people who have made this possible.” He wished the Chiefs the best of luck during their season and thinks it would be wonderful if we could see the Chiefs and either the Vikings or the Packers play in the Super Bowl.  Pioli spoke to the fans and also thanked them for attending on behalf of the Hunt family. “I am really enjoying this camp; I want to thank River Falls and the University for having us here. This has been one of the first camps that I've been able to sleep; it's so peaceful here,” said Pioli. In addition to his gratitude toward the fans he also announced his excitement about the season to come. “I'm looking forward to working with (Head Coach) Todd (Haley) to produce a winning team that can win some championships.” 

Fans were allowed onto the track around Ramer Field at 1:15 p.m. and the players came out for the autograph session around 1:30 p.m. There was no limit to the items that people were having signed. Fans were seen with footballs, hats, jerseys, shirts, pennants, helmets, football cards, video games and pictures. As expected, the latest addition to the Chiefs quarterbacks, Matt Cassel, had a very long line awaiting his signature. After a young fan got Matt Cassel and Larry Johnson's autographs, he stated, “I got Larry and Matt! I'm on a role!” Andrew Hokanson, 9, from Bemidji, Minn., and his family stood at the northeast corner of Ramer Field with a sign that said, “Brodie fans for life.” The family has been coming to the camp in River Falls since Croyle joined the team in 2005.  On the east side of Ramer Field, line backer Andy Studebaker was talking to each fan he signed for. He commented to a young boy, “So are you going to play for us some day?” The young boy walked away with a huge grin on his face. In addition to the players' autographs, Pioli also took some time to sign autographs for eager fans before the 20-minute time limit expired. After the autograph session, fans were asked to leave the track area and proceed to the bleachers where they could view the rest of practice.

The Chiefs 12th practice was mostly an intra-squad scrimmage. Both offensive and defensive units made some great plays throughout the two-hour practice. A more detailed description of the afternoon practice can be found here.

Five of the trophy winners from the Punt, Pass and Kick Competition on Saturday, Aug. 1 were able to return to Family Fun Day to get recognized for their achievements by Haley. Arsenio Black (2nd Place, Boys Age 8, River Falls, Wis.), Brian Miller (1st Place, Boys Age 10, River Falls, Wis.), Logan Emholtz (2nd Place, Boys Age 12, River Falls, Wis.), Jacob Bauer (2nd Place, Boys Age 13, Durand, Wis.) and Dalton Ferguson (1st Place, Boys Age 13, Solon, Iowa) were personally congratulated by Haley in front of the fans at Ramer Field. The head coach told the crowd that he had won a punt, pass and kick trophy at age 11. He then stated, “the boys have bright futures ahead of them.” A photo was taken with all five winners and the coach, and are displayed in the photo section.

Punt, Pass & Kick Has 88 Participants

By J. J. Mosher
University Communications

The annual Punt, Pass and Kick competition, sponsored by Kwik Trip Stores, was held at noon on Saturday in between the Chiefs morning and afternoon practices. Partly sunny skies overlooked the event, with a temperature about 70 and a wind from the northwest.

Eighty-eight competitors age 8-13 took the field with their eyes set on taking home a trophy. Girls had two categories, ages 8-10 and ages 11-13, while the boys had a category for each year 8-13.

Photos of the event can be seen here.

The event was a great success, and each participant received a ribbon for their efforts. Chiefs Assistant General Manager Joel Collier talked to the participants after the competition and handed out trophies to the winners. "This is a great opportunity for young people to be able to compete in these types of events," Collier said. "When I was young and my Dad was an NFL coach, I was not allowed to participate in competitions such as this one, and I wish that I would have had the chance to demonstrate my football skills. Thank you for taking advantage of your opportunity to compete and have fun today!" The top three finishers from each category had a photo taken with Collier, KC Wolf and Freddy Falcon.

A special thanks goes to all of the volunteers who helped at the event, especially the students from the Greek organizations at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Three men from Theta Chi, two men from Alpha Gamma Rho and one woman from Sigma Sigma Sigma offered their time to help at the event. Another thank you is owed to the River Falls Parks and Recreation department that supplied the footballs and tees that were used during the competition.

The winners and their total distances are listed below.

Girls age 8-10
1st Place – Micaela Rivera (age 10) of River Falls, Wis. (99'3'')
2nd Place – Kyra Heithoff (age 10) of Carroll, Iowa (74'8'')
3rd Place – Carleigh Roettger (age 9) of Beldenville, Wis. (73'1'')

Girls age 11-13
1st Place – Naomi Gunelson (age 12) of River Falls, Wis. (189'3'')
2nd Place – Madelyne Kulow (age 12) of Baldwin, Wis. (188'7'')
3rd Place – Sydney Squires (age 13) of Hudson, Wis. (187'8'')

Boys age 8
1st Place – Logan Peterson of Hager City, Wis. (163'6'')
2nd Place – Arsenio Black of River Falls, Wis. (137'8'')
3rd Place – Sam Schroeder of Onalaska, Wis. (126'11'')

Boys age 9
1st Place – Nik Blaubach of River Falls, Wis. (183'4'')
2nd Place – Hunter Muhlbauer of Lytton, Iowa (160'6'')
3rd Place – Justin Arthur of Hammond, Wis. (153'1'')

Boys age 10
1st Place – Brian Miller of River Falls, Wis. (198')
2nd Place – Matthew Brandeen of Roberts, Wis. (191')
3rd Place – Roshaun Johnson of River Falls, Wis. (187')

Boys age 11
1st Place – Trey Larson of River Falls, Wis. (225')
2nd Place – Ryan Cotter of Overland Park, Kan. (199'5'')
3rd Place – Dominic Accurso of Leawood, Kan. (197'9'')

Boys age 12
1st Place – John Birkholz of Rosemount, Minn. (259'11'')
2nd Place – Logan Emholtz of River Falls, Wis. (234'8'')
3rd Place – Casey Slowiak of River Falls, Wis. (225'3'')

Boys age 13
1st Place – Dalton Ferguson of Solon, Iowa (332'3'')
2nd Place – Jacob Bauer of Durand, Wis. (283'1'')
3rd Place – Ben Fiers of Apple Valley, Minn. (280'5'')

2009 CHIEFS TRAINING CAMP AND PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Thursday, July 30 Depart for Training Camp – River Falls, WI
Friday, July 31 Begin Training Camp – River Falls, WI
Saturday, Aug. 1 First Day of Practice – River Falls, WI
Saturday, Aug. 8 Family Fun Day – River Falls, WI
Saturday, Aug. 15 Kansas City vs. Houston – Arrowhead Stadium (7 PM CT)
Thursday, Aug. 20 Break Training Camp – River Falls, WI
Friday, Aug. 21 Kansas City at Minnesota – H.H.H. Metrodome (7 PM CT)
Saturday, August 29 Kansas City vs. Seattle – Arrowhead Stadium (7 PM CT)
Thursday, Sept. 3 Kansas City at St. Louis – Edward Jones Dome (7 PM CT)