October 3, 2014 at 1:27 p.m.
Punt, Pass, and Kick returns to Rhinelander
Punt, Pass, and Kick returns to Rhinelander
In total, 14 contestants, many donning winter hats and multiple layers, braved the conditions and demonstrated their skills. The field consisted of 12 boys and two girls.
John Coyle, treasurer of the Council on Youth Activities, helped organize the event. He said the chilly weather probably hurt their numbers this year.
"Attendance was a little bit down from last year," he said. "We had 29 last year, and I'd say this year we have fewer than that. The weather was so unpredictable though. We had rain this morning, and it's always a question of whether it's going to be a go or not."
Punt, Pass, and Kick takes into account the total distance the ball travels in each of the three areas of competition, but each is measured at the spot the ball first hits the ground. This eliminates the occasional lucky, or not so lucky, bounce.
On the girls' side, eight-year-old Leah Jamison earned herself an impressive 80 points. Ten-year-old Ava Lamers also wowed the judges, finishing with an even 100 points.
On the boys' side, John Currie led all eight-year-olds with 123 points.
Nine-year-old Sam Schneider was tops in his age group, earning 151 points.
Ryan Jamison led the way for the 10-year-olds with 208 points, and Quinn Lamers took home the crown among 11-year-olds with 212 points.
Quinn Lamers said it wasn't his first competition. He looks forward to coming out every year to compete against himself and his friends.
"I've done it a couple years in the past, so I wanted to come out and do it again," he said. "There's not really a strategy. I just want to have fun. I want to beat where I was last year and I wanted to beat my friends too."
Wyatt Haverkampf also competed in the event. He said he loves the competitive aspect of Punt, Pass, and Kick.
"I just do it to have fun and get outside," he said. "For me, beating my friends is pretty much all of it. I want to beat them really bad. It's a lot of fun."
It was clear that sentiment is far from uncommon. While the boys waited their turn to show off the strength of their arms and legs, spontaneous wrestling matches sprang up and there were plenty of impromptu foot races as well.
Coyle said that's the beauty of the event.
"They're buddies and they like to see if they can do better than their buddies or as well as each other," he said. "It's kind of a macho thing for the guys and they have a lot of fun doing it."
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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