The Penrith Panthers visited 23 schools last week as part of the 15th annual Community Carnival and Canowindra Public was one of the lucky chosen. Players Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Shaun Spence delivered a presentation on the importance of hydration and healthy eating and how they affect you. Educational games were on the agenda including celebrity heads where they guessed the food and drink and a passing game which the Panthers lost meaning they had to do sit-ups- with the students stood on their backs of course! The NRL representatives informed students about the ‘safe play code’ which is part of what makes rugby league such a fun, safe sport and encouraged kids to get involved to all and any sports be it soccer, austag, tennis or rugby emphasising the importance of keeping fit, making friends and building character by dealing with losses and appreciating wins. Students were then given the opportunity to ask questions including a request for Dallin to play the piano, which he was very good at! Some questions asked were, “do you get along with your teammates?” to which Shaun joked, “me and Dal? Not really!” and “why do you play for Panthers when you can play for Dragons?” Dallin and Shaun both started playing football at a young age and loved sports growing up. The students thanked the Panthers on behalf of the school and had a final photo with the players to the loud shout of, “Panthers!”
By Rhi Quinn