Congratulations to ‘Air 5’- Our Super Football Kids in Sarasota-Bradenton

It was a weekend that I will never forget. Local sports legend, Adrian McPherson asked me if we could help and do some filming of the “Pylon 7v7” football tournament. We jumped at the chance since our team at Sande Caplin and Associates is developing a new website for the McPherson 5 Foundation, which Adrian is the President.

From the Air 5 Facebook Page: AIR 5 is an elite 7-on-7 American football program for middle and high school athletes. This program focuses on enhancing student athletes’ field and classroom performances. The coaching staff teach skills and techniques to give players a competitive edge and provide recruiting assistance through various contacts and resources at the collegiate level. The players involved in our program participate in a number of philanthropic events and community service projects throughout the year. Our mission is to help young athletes earn scholarships to further their education, better their lives, and to give back to their communities.

Not knowing what to expect, we packed up our camera gear, met the 2 teams at the P.A.L. in complex Bradenton at 5:30am on Saturday morning and drove to the Austin-Tindall Park in Kissimmee, Florida. It’s a beautiful complex with nine– 7 on 7 football fields.

The kids competed in 3 games on Saturday and Sunday was a single elimination tournament. On Saturday, “Air 5 Black Team” ages 9-12 won all 3 games, and “Air 5 Gold” ages 13-15, won 1 game out of 3. It was an all-day event that started at 10am and ended at 5pm. We drove to the Gaylord Hotel where the kids stayed for the night, walked around the hotel for awhile, had some fun and then went to dinner. Everyone was exhausted, and it was lights out at 10.

Sunday morning started at 6:30am and a drive back to the sports complex and the single elimination tournament.

Well, our kids did it! The younger kid were favorites and a #1 seed and won 3 straight games in exciting fashion, and won the championship. The underdog “Team Gold” were seeded 16th and went on to win 5 games (beating 2 of the teams that they lost to on Saturday), winning the championship in overtime!

There is so much more to write about this fabulous organization, the kids, the coaches, the volunteers, the parents and more. I just wanted to start spreading the word…. So much more to come including 100’s of photos. Congratulations to everyone involved.

For Laura and I- It was a very gratifying experience.

Sarasota Post Photos

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