Sunday, Aug. 17 marked the annual Football Picnic for members of the FHN football teams and their families. The picnic
kicked off in the FHN stadium at 2 p.m. and the festivities continued until around 6 p.m.
“It’s basically a team building activity, but it extends to the whole family so we can emphasize the family aspect of the whole program,” Individual Funds Treasurer of the Booster Club and Team Parent Tina Schulze said.
Before families began arriving to the picnic, several parent volunteers arrived early at the stadium to help grill hamburgers and hotdogs, which were provided by FHN football program. Families also pitched in by bringing specific items that corresponded to their player’s grade level. Seniors were required to bring chips, juniors brought desserts, and everyone else brought side dishes to the picnic.
“[The players tend to enjoy] the food the most and just hanging out with each other,” senior and Varsity football player Josh Dulley said.
Throughout the course of the day, there were a variety of games that the players could participate in, including cornhole, soccer, and pick-up football. The parents also participated in a scavenger hunt and several other games to break the ice.
“The parent scavenger hunt and ice-breaker activities we used to make sure parents got to talk to each other and get to know each other,” Schulze said. “Everybody enjoyed them and we had a lot of positive feedback from parents from the parent scavenger hunt. I like seeing all of the parents talking to each other at all levels.”
According to Schulze, an important part of the picnic is the interaction between the different teams outside of a practice situation, however; the main purpose of the picnic is to strengthen the relationship between the players at all levels.
“[My favorite part was] the games because we’re just so competitive, even off of the field,” senior and Varsity player AJ Lozada said. “We’ve had that bonding time during the off-season, and it just showed in our competitiveness- even the freshmen have got it in them- and it just bonded us more.”
