Ravens Play60 event

Maddi works at Special Olympics Maryland as the Director, Marketing & Communications asked me about being a Media athlete at the Ravens Play60. The Ravens Play60 event is where the players from the ravens host an organization like SOMD for a two-hour clinic where they do drills and practice with the players and coaching staff to learn new drills and skills to apply in their competition. I was really interested in going for the media team. Thursday, September 15, we had a meeting to discuss any questions the other media athletes and I had about the event. We had to come up with 5-10 interview questions to ask the players the day of the Play60. The Play60 was on September 19. We all had to arrive at the headquarters by 2:30 p.m. When we got there, we had to check in and sign a waiver. There were 60 Special Olympic Maryland athletes, 3 Athlete Leader Media Team Members, and 8 staff attended. Then we played a quizlet about Baltimore. Then we got onto the bus that was taking us to the Ravens training center where the athletes were going to be doing drills. Once we got there we got a Ravens Play60 shirt. I was pretty overwhelmed and not sure what I was supposed to do. Turns out with a little guidance I knew what I needed to do. We got cameras ready to capture the stretching. I took some videos and pictures of the athletes. Everyone had so much fun doing the drills. Capturing the moments of the athletes when doing drills, huddling, and touchdown dances. I interviewed the Ravens player and his name was Trystan Colon. I asked him I have heard that football players will sometimes take a ballet class for flexibility. Have you ever taken ballet class? The Ravens player said that he had done dancing from ages 6-14. He had done ballet, tap, jazz, and maybe another one. I also asked that same player what he loved about Ravens Play60. There was also another Baltimore Raven player named Ben Mason who also did drills with the athletes. Capturing the athletes made my heart happy. They worked really hard on the drills and enjoyed the Ravens players. Then we went back to the headquarters where our parents pick us up. I told my mom all about my experience and how I had so much fun being a media athlete.  I hope next year I can be a part of this experience again capturing the moment of the athletes.