O's help middle schoolers get fit

By Doug Miller

Orioles

February 19, 2019, 8:15am

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Youngsters who dream of a big league career are getting a little taste of what it takes, with the help of the Orioles Health & Fitness Challenge and today's visit from some O's stars to a middle school in the club's spring home of Sarasota, Fla.

Orioles Hall of Famer Brian Roberts and current Orioles Mychal Givens, Trey Mancini and Mike Wright Jr. - along with Wright's wife, Madison, a personal trainer and reigstered dietician and nutritionist - went to Booker Middle School to help conduct a session of the five-week program.

Launched in 2016, the Orioles Health & Fitness Challenge teaches the 4,500 Sarasota-area middle schoolers who participate annually to "eat, train and live like the pros," emphasizing the importance of healthy eating, tobacco-free living and physical fitness.

Each of the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders who take part earn Orioles-themed prizes and two free tickets to the Orioles' spring training game on Feb. 23. Participants also receive vouchers for complimentary concessions at the "Orioles Fit Grill" food stand at Ed Smith Stadium.