The Los Angeles Lakers teamed up with City of Hope, the Official Cancer Research Hospital of the Lakers, to host to over 250 students from local elementary schools for an annual Fit for Life Field Day. The fun-filled day consisted of promoting healthy lifestyle choices and wellness through nutrition and physical exercise. All participants were provided a nutritional lunch where Mayra Serrano, the Manager in Center of Community Alliance for Research & Education at City of Hope, spoke to the kids about how exercising one hour a day can prevent chronic illness later in life as well as the importance of high quality eating habits.
Playworks, an organization dedicated to promoting leadership in students through activities, helped bring positive energy to the day by celebrating being healthy in a fun way. Each student received a Fit for Life shirt with corresponding Laker’s jersey colors and were divided into teams by school. All teams had Lakers players and Lakers Girls, along with Lakers staff volunteers, help lead them through competitions for points to lead to a championship trophy. Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Ivica Zubac were among the Lakers players participating throughout the day.
There were a variety of activities that all students participated in to help secure points for their teams. The day’s first event was a hula hoop chain competition, where students had to use teamwork and communicate at a high level to be successful. Next on the agenda was an all-out five team dodgeball game, where the team with the most students standing at the end were the winners. Once students were eliminated they could also receive bonus points for their team by encouraging those still playing. Both doing well in the competitions and supporting other teams led to the ultimate success of scoring points.
The next competitions featured were: a sponge bucket game, 50-on-50 tug of war, and a noise-o-meter measuring the loudest and most excited team. Lastly, the students competed in the ultimate team relay competition. This game featured a potato sack portion, dizzy bat, math question, weaving in and out of cones and more, to encompass both education and physical endurance. Once all events were completed and points were totaled, a winning school was awarded the grand prize - the Lakers Fit for Life Championship Trophy. While healthy competition is always fun, every student from Playworks won at the end of the by receiving a Lakers gift bags to commemorate the day’s events. The Lakers were proud to partner with City of Hope to help kids from Playworks not only exercise, but also learn about a healthy lifestyle in a fun environment.