Bobcats Have Busy Day In The Community

The Bobcats had a busy day in the community on Friday, March 10, as select players visited the Metro School and the Dixon Academy to spread a little to joy to the students in attendance at their selected events.

Located just blocks from Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Metro School is the home to 200 students with moderate to severe disabilities ranging in age from 5-21 and was the first stop on this action-packed afternoon.

It was an exciting place to be as the students welcomed two special guests from the Bobcats, guard Matt Carroll and mascot Rufus Lynx, who stopped by the school to participate in an assembly with the entire student body.

Carroll was greeted with thundering applause as he stepped to the front of the crowd to address the students.

“I always dreamed about playing in the NBA,” he told them. “I didn’t always know if I was going to accomplish that dream but I had to push myself and keep working hard. The biggest key is to believe in yourself. The sky’s the limit.”

After speaking to the students for several minutes, Carroll introduced Rufus who entertained the crowd with his dance moves. He even got several students and teachers up dancing with him.

Together, Carroll and Rufus helped recognize the students of the month as they passed out certificates, Bobcats T-shirts and goody bags to the honorees.

“This is just amazing,” remarked Metro School Principal Denise Comeaux. “The kids were just so thrilled. They’ve been talking about it for the past couple of days. You can see the smiles on their faces. We could hardly keep them in their seats. It meant a great deal to our school.”

Following the awards ceremony, Carroll and Rufus entertained the kids as they attempted to make a backwards over the head shot. They then offered some quick basketball tips before moving to the sidelines to cheer as several students took on members of the staff in a friendly basketball game.

“It was just a lot of fun,” said Carroll. “There’s nothing like when you come in and the kids ask you to give them a word of advice, so you them a little bit of advice and they come up and give you a big hug like you just gave them the best advice in the world. They’re just so excited. I just had a lot of fun today.”

The day continued as forward Sean May, Pam -- a member of the Bobcats Dance Team -- and Rufus dropped by the Dixon Academy to participate in a Reading Timeout with approximately 50 kids, ages 4-12.

After being greeted by a raucous ovation, May and Pam read the book Ice Cream Fun Day to the group of students that seemed to hang on their every word.

“They were amazing storytellers,” said the Dixon Academy’s Vice President of Programs and Operations Kim Vanover. “I was very impressed by how easily they got the children’s attention. There’s a talent and a skill to telling children stories, and they both certainly had it.”

May said he enjoyed reading to the kids and had a secret as to how he kept the children’s attention.

“I just try to remember when I was a kid,” he said. “If someone were to get up there and start reading in a drone voice with a drone attitude, it wouldn’t have been very effective. I try to get in there, have fun, interact with the kids and laugh. I’m a big kid myself, so it’s easy.”

Following a brief quiz conducted by May and Pam about they story they had just heard, the children received a special treat. Tifferney White of the Discovery Place then joined the Bobcats duo to show the kids how to make ice cream out of liquid nitrogen before sharing their finished product with the class, but not before May and Pam first tested the final results.

“Nobody can say no to ice cream,” White said. “We just like to mix in a little science in there when we can. In our eyes, we like to be able to bring science to life for them and relate it to real-life experiences. If ice cream is what they like, then we slide the science in through something they like and they’re learning without even realizing that they are.”

Although he seemed tentative at first, May quickly seemed to take on the role of ice-cream maker.

“They scared me a little bit with that liquid nitrogen, but I got to make some ice cream -- Pam and Sean’s Orange Delight -- so it was fun. I had a good time doing it.”

While the students sampled the ice cream, they also received a surprise appearance from Rufus, who danced with the students and led them in a Bobcats cheer. May, Pam and Rufus all then chatted with the kids while signing autographs and handing out Bobcats Read To Achieve posters.

“I think it’s important that the kids look to us as role models. It may sound stereotypical, but it’s true,” May said. “When I was younger, anytime that I saw someone like a college or pro athlete come in, talk, have fun and hang out, it made an impact. These types of events are fun for me because they’re so personable. You get to interact with the kids and have a good time. When I’m out there doing it, you can see I’m having enjoying it, so I’m always thrilled to do activities like this.”