Kids drinking milk earn pep rally with Carolina Panther

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C.,None — A love of football and dairy brought students together with NFL football player Armanti Edwards Tuesday morning.

More than 1,000 Lincoln County students met the Carolina Panther as part of the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, an initiative to get kids drinking more milk and exercise.

The program challenged Lincoln County students to increase their milk intake during the month of October. The reward for stepping up to the line of scrimmage was a pep rally with the Carolina Panthers.

East Lincoln High School won the competition, upping its milk consumption by 45 percent during the month. Students at Childers Elementary School came in second place, and Pumpkin Center Intermediate came in third.

As the winners, the East Lincoln Mustangs hosted the event, and 300 kids from the other two schools were bussed in.

The younger children jumped up and down when they saw the inflated panther head and the flashing lights. Many squealed when the Panthers' mascot Sir Purr entered the gym.

But Edwards got the biggest response as he ran through the crowd.

Engaging children in good health practices isn't always easy, said Dottie Ryan with the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association. The Fuel Up Like a Pro initiative works quite well to achieve the goal, Ryan said.

"Being partnered with The Panthers, it can make nutrition and activity fun," said Ryan.

Students grabbed a hold of some free Panthers goodies during the pep rally and competed in some physical and trivia games.

Mustang cheerleaders and the school's pep band worked to rouse the crowd, and a couple of TopCats cheered along.

In addition to the pep rally, each school got grant money for ranking in the top three milk-drinking facilities in the county.

East Lincoln received $1,500; Childers got $1,000; and Pumpkin Center received $500.

Fuel Up to Play 60 is a nutrition and physical activity program. The program encourages children to eat nutrient-rich food and fit in 60-minutes of physical activity each day.

This is the third year the Dairy Council has hosted a pep rally. Thirty-two football teams participate, and more than 71,000 schools have climbed on board, according to Ryan. The NFL and the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association partner up each year to present the program.

Gaston County dairy farmer Cameron Eaker also attended the Tuesday morning pep rally. Owner of Eaker Dairy, he brought a cow with him to the event. To add to the students' experience, the principal of each of the three schools took turns kissing Eaker's cow.

WSOC