Williams Helps Launch Hornets' 2011-12 Bee-Fit Program
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com, @Jim_Eichenhofer
October 3, 2011
Like every NBA head coach, Monty Williams spends a staggering amount of time being interviewed during basketball season. For example, on home gamedays, Williams speaks to the New Orleans media at three separate gatherings for roughly 10 minutes apiece, including shootaround, pregame and postgame talks.
With a wide grin on his face, Williams took the opportunity Wednesday morning to try out the other side of an interview’s give-and-take. While waiting for a 9 a.m. ceremony to begin at Terrytown Elementary School, Williams sat at a lunch table and chose grade-schoolers to be the subject of “interviews” with the coach. Using a folded-up piece of paper that represented a faux microphone, Williams took kids one-by-one and improvised questions to them in front of an actual TV camera.
A father of five children with wife Ingrid, Williams laughed when one Terrytown student showed the impressive presence of mind to mention during the boy’s “interview” that Williams is the best coach in the NBA.
“I want this guy on my team!” a smiling Williams responded.
Along with playfully interacting with children, Williams was a guest speaker at Wednesday’s launch of the Hornets’ 2011-12 Bee-Fit program. The objective of the regional initiative is to teach physical fitness, prevent childhood obesity and educate students on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. This year, the program has been expanded to all 56 elementary schools in Jefferson Parish, reaching more than 31,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
The message of making physical fitness a priority is one Williams practices on a daily basis with his own children, as he explained during his speech at Terrytown Elementary.
“I have five children, from high school (aged) all the way down to 14 months,” said Williams, who will celebrate his 40th birthday on Oct. 8. “Last night, (the three oldest) were upstairs in my house and I put them through a workout. They did the bench press, lunges, pushups and situps.
“You might say, ‘Coach why are you doing that? Is it because you want your kids to become pro athletes like you were and make some money in pro sports?’ No. The reason I work my kids out is not because I want them to be pro athletes; I want them to be healthy now and later on. If you’re active now, it’s going to be easier for you to be active later.”
In an era when children are continually given more indoor recreational opportunities, such as browsing the Internet or playing video games, Williams also stressed the importance of outdoor activities.
“When I was a kid, I stayed outside all day long. I was raised by my grandparents for a while. My grandmother didn’t let me be inside all day,” Williams recalled to the audience of youngsters. “What it forced me to do was I learned how to throw and learned how to shoot baskets.
“Now it’s a bit different. You guys have video games. I’m a bit intimidated by your video games. I can’t even play them. We had an Atari with a joystick that had one button. You guys have video games with 10 buttons on them. That blows me away. But the problem is if you do that too much, you become static. I was always outside as a kid, whether it was baseball, basketball, hunting or fishing.”
Proving he practices what he preaches, following his speech Williams was a hands-on participant at an outdoor basketball-skills station, helping children learn to dribble and pass. It was part of the first of many Bee-Fit Hornets Field Days to come over the next several months, at grade schools all over the New Orleans region.
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By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com, @Jim_Eichenhofer
October 3, 2011
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Like every NBA head coach, Monty Williams spends a staggering amount of time being interviewed during basketball season. For example, on home gamedays, Williams speaks to the New Orleans media at three separate gatherings for roughly 10 minutes apiece, including shootaround, pregame and postgame talks.
With a wide grin on his face, Williams took the opportunity Wednesday morning to try out the other side of an interview’s give-and-take. While waiting for a 9 a.m. ceremony to begin at Terrytown Elementary School, Williams sat at a lunch table and chose grade-schoolers to be the subject of “interviews” with the coach. Using a folded-up piece of paper that represented a faux microphone, Williams took kids one-by-one and improvised questions to them in front of an actual TV camera.
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“I want this guy on my team!” a smiling Williams responded.
Along with playfully interacting with children, Williams was a guest speaker at Wednesday’s launch of the Hornets’ 2011-12 Bee-Fit program. The objective of the regional initiative is to teach physical fitness, prevent childhood obesity and educate students on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. This year, the program has been expanded to all 56 elementary schools in Jefferson Parish, reaching more than 31,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
The message of making physical fitness a priority is one Williams practices on a daily basis with his own children, as he explained during his speech at Terrytown Elementary.
“I have five children, from high school (aged) all the way down to 14 months,” said Williams, who will celebrate his 40th birthday on Oct. 8. “Last night, (the three oldest) were upstairs in my house and I put them through a workout. They did the bench press, lunges, pushups and situps.
“You might say, ‘Coach why are you doing that? Is it because you want your kids to become pro athletes like you were and make some money in pro sports?’ No. The reason I work my kids out is not because I want them to be pro athletes; I want them to be healthy now and later on. If you’re active now, it’s going to be easier for you to be active later.”
In an era when children are continually given more indoor recreational opportunities, such as browsing the Internet or playing video games, Williams also stressed the importance of outdoor activities.
“When I was a kid, I stayed outside all day long. I was raised by my grandparents for a while. My grandmother didn’t let me be inside all day,” Williams recalled to the audience of youngsters. “What it forced me to do was I learned how to throw and learned how to shoot baskets.
“Now it’s a bit different. You guys have video games. I’m a bit intimidated by your video games. I can’t even play them. We had an Atari with a joystick that had one button. You guys have video games with 10 buttons on them. That blows me away. But the problem is if you do that too much, you become static. I was always outside as a kid, whether it was baseball, basketball, hunting or fishing.”
Proving he practices what he preaches, following his speech Williams was a hands-on participant at an outdoor basketball-skills station, helping children learn to dribble and pass. It was part of the first of many Bee-Fit Hornets Field Days to come over the next several months, at grade schools all over the New Orleans region.
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