Helping to promote fitness and exercise, Redskins players Alfred Morris, Darrel Young and Nick Sundberg helped out at the third annual "Recess with the Redskins" event in Prince George's County on Friday morning.

If you happened to be inside Prince George's County Sport and Learning Complex on Friday, you would be forced to agree with the account given by Redskins running back Alfred Morris.

"There are some firecrackers out there!" he said over screams and blasting music.

Indeed, more than 800 of them.

Packing the complex's field house, elementary students from 16 local schools jammed the bleachers and eventually the entire running track for the third annual "Recess with the Redskins" event.

In partnership with the United Way of the National Capital Area, the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation helped program the two-hour long morning of physical fitness and football activities. They got some aid, and even louder cheers, from Redskins fullback Darrel Young, longsnapper Nick Sundberg and Morris, helping to expel the youngsters' pent-up energy.

"Once again, [we're] just trying to have fun," Young said. "There's a lot of schools. It's one of the bigger charity events we had done in terms of Play 60…So, it's a great opportunity to just come out with Alfred and Nick coming back from the offseason, and that's just what we're about."

After corralling everyone into their proper stations, coordinators led students through a variety of drills and games, all offering some form of exercise and education about staying active and healthy.

"I wish we could participate in it but unfortunately we're a little too big to be crawling under a bunch of little kids' legs," Sundberg said jokingly.  "Events like this are a ton of fun. Unfortunately they only happen once a year with this many kids all in the same place.

"It's not just hanging out with them," he added, "but actually running around with them, actually having fun and those are the things I really enjoy."

Some stations contained obstacle courses and football pads to tackle while one area projected a workout video for kids to follow and mimic. Morris, when he wasn't busy answering students' barrage of questions, helped lead some exercises and chaperoned those waiting in line.

"It just makes it so much more worthwhile coming out here and just be able to be impart in their lives at such a young age, you've got to be able to say, 'Hey, hard work pays off.' Stuff like that sticks with kids," Morris said. "The sooner you get somebody, the better, so that's why I love coming out with the kids."

As music provided the soundtrack to the "organized chaos," as a few people termed it, Erica Russell, who works in the United Way's community impact department, was also running around, though not for recreation.

"It was great working together with so many partnerships," she said in between directing school buses where to park. "Everybody wanted to see the kids happy and see them smiling and playing and getting fun out of fitness. It makes it all worthwhile. The players getting out there, dancing with them, it's a blast."

Yes, there was plenty of time for dancing, too. Just ask Young, who showed off a few moves for his roaring audience, smiling ear to ear.

Said Young, "It's as good as it gets."

RELATED LINKS:
-- Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation
-- Paul Helps Build Playground For Local School

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