NFL Punt, Pass and Kick Program Expands to Elmhurst Through Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps

In an aggressive move to make fun, alternative football options available to kids, Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps will host 29 NFL Punt, Pass and Kick Local Competitions.  This expansion gives local event winners the chance to compete at the Bear’s practice home the -- Walter Payton Center -- and possibly be recognized as an NFL Punt, Pass and Kick National Champion.
 
Among the 29 Local Competitions, kids attending the Chicago Bears Youth Football Camp at Elmhurst’s Elmhurst College, Mon. June 25 - Fri. June 29 will be automatically entered into the Punt, Pass and Kick program.
 
“The NFL Punt, Pass and Kick program gives us a chance to put a national spotlight on some very talented athletes from Elmhurst and beyond,” says Mike Gross, Operations Director for Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps.  “The competition will create tons of energy within our local programs.  The kids will be so excited to do well and our coaches will be excited to get the kids prepared.  That’s a great mix for effective instruction and fun.”
 
Every year more than 3 million youngsters nationwide compete in the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick program. PPK offers boys and girls the opportunity to compete separately against their peers in punting, passing, and kicking contests (based on distance and accuracy) in Local, Sectional, NFL Team Championship, and National Final levels.
 
Five age groups (6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15) are eligible to compete in separate boys’ and girls’ divisions. The top scorer in each Local competition age group advances to the Sectional Competition.
 
Sectional Competitions are conducted in October, and all NFL cities will host a Team Championship in late October, November or December. Boys and girls Team Champions will be crowned in each age group.  The Chicago Bears annually host the Team Championship at the Walter Payton Center, the team’s indoor practice facility in Lake Forest.  All forty Team Championship participants attend the Bears game at Soldier Field the following day, where they partake in an on-field passing demonstration during pregame or halftime.
 
All NFL cities will host a Team Championship in their stadium during pregame or halftime of NFL games in late October, November and December. Boys’ and girls’ Team Champions will be crowned in each age group.
 
For the National Finals, the top four scorers will be determined in the boys’ and girls’ divisions from all first-place finishers in each Team Champion age group. These Team Champions will advance to the National Finals at an NFL playoff game in January. A total of 40 participants will attend the National Finals.
 
“We would love it if some of our Bears campers made it to the big stage,” says Gross. “It would be really exciting for everyone involved, especially the kids and our coaches.”
 
For more information about the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick competition through Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps, visit www.BearsCamps.com or call 312-226-7776 for more information.