Sports Information

February 4, 2008

Athletes, cheerleaders give back on Super Sunday

Matthew Ng
The Journal News

YONKERS - Athletes are used to mornings like these: working outside bright and early in the muddy trenches while getting their hands dirty.

Sounds like just another typical day at football practice. Right?

Nope. This group of Pace University athletes and cheerleaders gathered to build homes with Habitat for Humanity of Westchester in the Super Bowl Build-a-Thon yesterday morning at 44-48 Purser Place.

Jim Killoran, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Westchester, feels there is an intrinsic value to sports that lends itself to community service and volunteer work.

"Sports creates a caring about each other in terms of your other teammates and opponents," Killoran said. "You pick someone up after you tackle them on the ground, and you shake their hands after a game. There is a human quality to it."

With more than 40 volunteers diligently working at the Yonkers site, pregame banter was abundant.

"Instead of watching all those guys in suits and ties talking about who's going to win, we'll get work done for the community now and we'll let the Giants win tonight," said Pace assistant football coach Mike Mattone, a Raiders fan.

Mattone wanted the Giants to win because he is still bitter about Oakland's loss to New England and the infamous "tuck rule" in the snow in the 2001 divisional round, Tom Brady's first career playoff game.

"That dynasty should have never started," Mattone said.

Instead of running sprints or pushing sleds, bulky linemen such as Nick Smith were using their strength to sledgehammer the remains of an old building, while others were clearing a mountain of soil into wheelbarrows.

"It's just natural. During the offseason, we just want to be outside and get physical again," said Smith, who as a Patriots fan was in the minority on the work crew.

Building a home at a construction site requires teamwork, something Setters freshman receiver Ryan Burke feels his team already has.

"We are used to trusting each other by now," Burke said. "There is nothing better than throwing mud around and getting a little dirty. It feels good to help out."

After the volunteers were finished with their work, the Super Bowl Build-a-Thon ended with a tailgate party for the volunteers, with food donated by Stew Leonard's.

"We are going to a giant Super Bowl party later," said Rye Brook resident Michael Lulkin, who was cooking hot dogs over a charcoal grill. "That's why it feels so good to do this, because of the juxtaposition between going to a massive Super Bowl party that is going to cost a fortune and coming down here and actually helping people."

In addition to a pair of homes being built in Yonkers, the weekend-long Super Bowl Build-a-Thon had students working on a project in New Rochelle. Iona College and Yonkers, New Rochelle and Irvington high schools also were involved.

"Looking at all the time, energy and billions of dollars that is put into this one day, we could build a house for everybody in Westchester," Killoran said. "In my belief, one of the S's in 'sports' stands for service. Every sports team in this county could help build homes for their own communities."

For more information about Habitat for Humanity of Westchester, log on to http://www.habitatwc.org/.

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