Soccer Smoking & Prevention

Athlete Recipes

Soccer Recipes

Indiana Royals Youth Soccer Clinics Smokefree Indiana North Central Coalition South Bend, Indiana (219) 254-1571 The Indiana Royals use these soccer clinics to reach youth in the communi­ty who are most at risk of smoking at an early age, particularly those in minority groups. At the clinics, players talk with kids about the ills of smoking and give them booklets, posters, and T-shirts bearing smoke-free messages. At the Indiana Royals games, team members carry around banners and give out literature as a reminder to the community to not smoke. The goal is to cut the number of youth who smoke by more than 90% and make Indiana a shining example for the rest of the country. The budget for holding the clinics and furnishing the materials is $500 a year. Tobacco Is A Dead End Office of Tobacco Prevention and Control Texas Department of Health Austin, Texas (512) 458-7402 The Tobacco Is A Dead End cam­paign created a media blitz and gave youth in south Texas the chance to boost their baseball skills and meet the White Wings baseball Team as tobac-co-free role models. It also gave the health department the chance to net­work with the community and estab­lish new tobacco-free partners. Thousands of promotional items were given away throughout the region via radio remotes, TV stations, local coali­tions and volunteers, schools, and the campaign's main event-a baseball clinic. Children attending the clinic dis­covered how tobacco products would hurt their ability to achieve their goals in sports, how it is illegal for them to obtain or use tobacco products, and how using tobacco as a kid (under 18) would affect their driving privileges. The campaign had a lasting effect through TV and radio interviews with kids, White Wings Baseball players, the state's tobacco control specialist, and local law enforcement authorities who spoke at the clinic. The interviews were aired throughout the region, thus increasing people's awareness about the state's tobacco laws. In addition, some stations aired follow-up stories and special reports about tobacco use and enforcement of tobacco laws in the region. 18 The Tobacco-Free Sports Playbook

Troy Aikman Poster Texas Cancer Council Spit Tobacco Prevention Network Austin, Texas (512) 443-1064 (800) CDC-1311 Retired NFL quarterback Troy Aikman is among a growing number of celebri­ty athletes who are using their status to encourage children to play sports and avoid tobacco. He worked with the Texas Cancer Council on a hugely successful campaign against spit tobac­co. "I understand the pressures encouraging kids to begin using spit tobacco," said Aikman, a former spit tobacco user himself. "I hope that my speaking out about the dangers of this habit might cause some kids to think twice before they start." Aikman is featured in a compelling poster, which is available free from the CDC (www.cdc.gov/tobacco). Smoke-Free Kids and Soccer, Baseball, and Lacrosse Smoking and Health Coalition of Monroe County and the Finger Lakes New York State Tobacco Control Program Rochester, New York (716) 442-4260 Nearly 700 boys and girls aged 9-14 have attended the annual Smoke-Free Kids and Soccer clinics, held for the past three years in conjunction with the Rochester Raging Rhinos A-League Championship Men's Soccer Team, the W-League Rochester Ravens, and various members of the Women's National Soccer Team, including goalies Tracy Ducar and Siri Mullinix. The event also has attracted many sponsors, such as Snickers, Sunbelt Products, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and local soccer clubs.