Communities, partners come together for 18th Annual DC SCORES Fall Frenzy

Written by Jake Lloyd
Communications Manager
@jakelam2116

View photos on Flickr
View the Social Media Storify HERE

If anyone wasn't sure about DC SCORES' whole-child approach to building teams -- not just through sports, or the arts, or academics -- Saturday's Fall Frenzy proved it.

Here was the scene for the 18th annual outdoor mid-season celebration of the fall.

On the main soccer field (and up a hill, too) at Trinity Washington University, kids played eight soccer games -- one after another, the girls followed by the boys. Large throngs of family members and friends lined the sidelines often three-deep, cheering on the kids while dancing to DJ RBI's beats and posing for selfies with D.C. United mascot Talon.

Neon yellow shirts dotted the fields, a large cadre of volunteers new and old running the games, having fun with the kids, and doing some teaching as well.

When the horn blew, each of the 30-plus teams picked up their belongings and walked -- or ran or skipped -- down the hill to ... poetry and books!

Thanks to our longtime partner Junior League of Washington, every kid received a book. At the adjacent table, each child also wrote a spooky Halloween poem using the writing tools they've developed in creative-expression workshops since early September.

Poem and book in hand, kids then took a seat for a much-needed rest while getting their faces painted -- yet another station run entirely by engaged, energetic and, of course, artistic volunteers!

And then before heading back to the soccer field, kids loosened those leg muscles and got in all kinds of laughs crab-walking, three-legged racing and doing jumping jacks at the relay race station led by awesome free-fitness partner November Project.

But wait, there were two more stops before returning to game play -- the D.C. United and Penya Barcelonista shooting stations. At the D.C. United stop, kids tested out their leg strength trying to kick the ball as hard as possible into an inflatable moon-bounce type apparatus. At the Penya station led by a group of high school kids from the Edmund Burke School, kids were taken through accuracy drills as they aimed for points targets.

By the time teams returned to the soccer fields, they were well-rested, feeling artistic, full of giggles and more than prepared for another game.

Fall Frenzy wouldn't have been possible for more than 1,000 kids and hundreds of family and community members without the support and bodies provided by our many partners. Revolution Foods brought healthy lunches for everyone; DrinkMore Water donated all the water; D.C. United brought the always-popular Talon; the partners mentioned above ran all the booths; and approximately 125 volunteers -- including a huge group from American University -- made the day run smoothly from beginning setup at 5:45am to leaving the facility in perfect condition at 3pm.

And every kid, having experienced a bit of everything, was exhausted and ready for a nap!