Superbowl Host Committee on hand for rededication of field
SPARTA — As Ungerman Field was being rededicated in honor of Sparta Township’s military veterans and exhibition games were played under Friday night lights, kids of all ages were treated to a first-hand Super Bowl experience courtesy of the Huddle Shuttle and Super Bowl XLVIII Host Committee.
In the third-annual installment of the Sparta Spartans Youth Football and Cheer Friday Night Lights for Life series, Sparta resident and keynote speaker Lt. Col. Daniel A. Colfax USMC (Ret.) delivered the keynote address for the rededication of the field before three exhibition matchups, including a Rumble Division matchup between Sparta and the Kitatinny Cougars and seventh- and eighth-grade matchups between Sparta and Lenape Valley.
Among the special guests at the event was former professional football player Roman Oben, who was drafted in 1996 by the New York Giants. After overcoming several difficulties in his life, Oben played for 12 years in the NFL as an offensive tackle, highlighted by a stint as a starting offensive lineman on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl XXXVII championship team.
While previous years’ events have benefitted paralyzed Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand and the Sparta Police Department’s Youth Division, this year’s event was treated more as a state-wide happening than community event in order to honor those veterans, according to the event program.
The Huddle Shuttle
The major difference was the inclusion of the Huddle Shuttle — a 64-foot by 8-foot, 14,000-pound customized vehicle designed to bring the Super Bowl experience to at least 48 stops throughout the New York and New Jersey leading up to this year’s Super Bowl at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford.
As this year’s Super Bowl is unique, due to the fact that it is being hosted by two states, two teams and is the first time the big game will be played in a cold-weather stadium, this year’s Super Bowl Host Committee designed the Huddle Shuttle to fulfill Gov. Chris Christie’s goal to “get the word out to the communities,” said Timothy McDonough, New Jersey senior advisor of the host committee.
Participants engaged in a series of 10 activities designed to replicate the experience of a Super Bowl-caliber NFL athlete — including the tunnel to the field, speed and agility testing, vertical leap test, field goal kick, touchdown dance, and, so the referees didn’t feel left out, participants were invited to make the call at a video station.
Participants 13 and over were given an electronic wristband which would track photos, video and stats from their trials in order to share the results online.
“When are they ever going to experience something like this?” McDonough said.
Reaction to the Huddle Shuttle was overwhelmingly positive. Nick Broccoletti, an 11-year-old Sparta resident and sixth grader, said his favorite part of the day was “definitely the touchdown dance,” which he said would be going on Instagram as soon as possible.
Sparta High School junior Chad DiBlasio, who plays cornerback on the varsity football team, said “It was all really fun,” but enjoyed the speed drill most of all.
Erik Krzanowski, 10, of Sparta, who plays on the fifth grade blue team, enjoyed the snowflake toss, where points were awarded for passing a football through different sized snowflakes.
About Ungerman Field
Ungerman Field — which is named after Walter Ungerman, founder of Sparta Little League — has been the home of Sparta Spartans Youth Football and Cheer programs since it opened in 1957.
The field was dedicated “To our boys who made the Supreme Sacrifice in Viet Nam” in 1968, but, as the memorial sign has since disappeared, current players and cheerleaders rededicated the field in honor of local American heroes.