addByline("Colin Kiley","Celtics.com","Celtics");
EAST BOSTON - Boston Celtics center Tyler Zeller and mascot Lucky joined forces Wednesday at the East Boston YMCA for an afternoon of fitness, healthy eating and fun.
For the past four weeks, youth from the site had been participating in the Fit to Win program, powered by Sun Life Financial, which aims to edcuacte Boston youth about the importance of healthy eating and exercise habits. The nutrition and fitness routines of the 40 East Boston youngsters were monitored using tracking sheets, which were filled with gold stars to display their achievements.
Top tip off the event, Zeller and Lucky were introduced to the crowd, which embraced them with an enthusiastic round of applause. The two guests went over the agenda for the day, calling for the youth to apply what they had learned through the program to a series of friendly competitions.
For the first competition, the children broke off into four teams for a fruit sculpture building contest, but first, Zeller described what makes food appealing to him.
“When I go out to eat, I need my food to look good and taste good,” said the 7-foot center.
The youth were provided with an assortment of fruits, including grapes, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries and pineapples, which were used as bases. Each team was captained by a representative from either the Celtics or Sun Life Financial.
Zeller and Lucky expressed amazement as each group unveiled its sculpture. They examined each masterpiece and determined a winner based upon creativity of the presentation.
Following the sculpting competition, the youngsters made their way to the gym for part two of the afternoon: basketball drills and relay races.
Before the competitions commenced, Zeller shared lessons about training, while Lucky taught the youth how to warm-up and stretch.
“For me there is no offseason,” explained Zeller. “I’m constantly working out and doing whatever I can to improve my game.”
With Zeller’s message fresh in their minds, the participants took to the floor to showcase their speed, ball handling and shooting abilities. From the first whistle to the final shot, supportive cheers from coaches and the crowd filled the gym. The encouragement brought smiles to their young faces, despite being tired and out of breath.
When the competition ended, Zeller and Lucky had the difficult task of selecting a winning team to receive autographs and a dunk show. The gym went silent as the two Celtics guests discussed the efforts that had been put forth over the last hour.
“I was so impressed by the hard work you showed me today,” proclaimed Zeller. “So we decided… everyone wins!”
The youth were overjoyed as they lined up for their autographs and then quickly gathered on the sidelines for one of Lucky’s famous dunk shows. The crowd stood in awe while the Celtics’ mascot flew through the air, producing high-flying flips and emphatic dunks.
To close out the exciting day, Zeller and Lucky presented a custom Fit to Win jersey for the East Boston YMCA in recognition of the youth’s accomplishments. Not only did the kids learn a lesson on health and fitness, but they also showed that hard work always pays off.