Big Ben gives kids a boost
ADAMS TWP — Hines Ward, Heath Miller, Santonio Holmes and ... Jake Sell?
All four know what it's like to catch a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger.
Sell, an 8-year-old from Pittsburgh, was one of the more than 300 participants of the Ben Roethlisberger Football Camp Tuesday at the Mars Athletic Complex.
During a 7-on-7 touch football game, Sell caught a scoring pass down the right sideline from the Steelers' Pro Bowl quarterback.
After the pass, Roethlisberger sprinted into the end zone, picked Sell up and carried him off the field on his shoulders.
"Catching that touchdown, it felt pretty good," said Sell, who insists he roots for Roethlisberger and the Steelers on Sunday afternoons in the fall. "I knew I had it all the way."
"Ben jokes around with the kids and gets involved in the games," said Mars athletic director Scott Heinauer, the camp's coordinator. "The kids are having fun and that's what it's all about."
Tuesday was the second day of the three-day camp, which focuses on fundamental skills.
"When you have a football camp, there is so much you can teach the kids," said Roethlisberger. "Being a quarterback, it made sense to emphasize passing and receiving, though we've thrown in a bit of defense, too."
<table width="300" height="275" border="0" align="right" valign="top" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><embed src="/assets/mov/BE49026625.MOV " width="320" height="250" autostart="true" loop="false" ></embed></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/" target="_blank"><span class="style11">Requires Quicktime Media Player </a><br><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Times New Roman">Video by Brandon Gerthoffer</font></span><td></tr></table>"The kids are learning what a fade pattern is, what a streak is," said Heinauer. "And they're teaching some defensive back (skills), too."The youths were broken up into groups, with each one receiving tips from one or two high school and college coaches. A total of 26 coaches are taking part in the camp."I met with the coaches (Monday)," said Roethlisberger, who will spend time with each group by the end of the camp. "The coaches realize that these aren't high school players and they're doing such a great job with them."A handful of the participants were girls."Having an athletic sister, it's nice to see girls out here showing up some of the boys," Roethlisberger said with a smile.By holding the camp, Roethlisberger is giving many youngsters an opportunity that he never had."For whatever reason, I never got to take part in a camp (with a pro athlete)," he said. "I did more once I got into high school, but nothing like this."That's why I'm out here: to use my name and bring kids in here to learn the game of football," he added.The camp was organized by Pro Camps, which is based in Cincinnati."They get a pass because some of them went to Miami (Ohio) University," Roethlisberger said, referring to his alma mater. "But there's no orange and black (Bengals colors) out here, I promise you."With one day to go, the camp seems to be an enjoyable experience for everyone."I've been involved in a lot of c
