Former Dallas Cowboy Jay Novacek touts Fuel Up to Play 60 at Texas Capitol

AUSTIN – Former Dallas Cowboy tight end and three-time Super Bowl champion Jay Novacek was the featured speaker at an event held recently in the Legislative Conference Center of the Texas State Capitol.

The event, presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Dairy Max, introduced state legislators and others to the Fuel Up to Play 60 program and other statewide initiatives on youth health and wellness with the theme “Supporting a Healthy Texas.”

Coordinators said the event and its focus on health corresponds to the Healthy South Texas initiative and other exceptional items put in for consideration by the state legislature. For more information, go to http://agrilife.org/84th-session.

About 100 people attended, including state legislators and staff members, Texas A&M AgriLife  administrators and staffers, dairy industry representatives and youth from the Texas 4-H program. Legislators in attendance included state Reps. Mary Gonzalez, District 75; Linda Koop, District 103; J.M. Lozano, District 43; Rick Miller, District 26; Joe Moody, District 78; John Raney, District 14; Drew Springer, District 68; Phil Stephenson, District 85; and John Wray, District 10.

Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activity program launched by the National Dairy Council, Dairy Max and the National Football League, in collaboration with the  U.S. Department of Agriculture. It encourages young people to consume nutrient-rich foods, including low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, plus getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

“It takes a combined effort like Fuel Up to Play 60 to go into schools and communities and to get young people interested and involved in nutrition and exercise,” Novacek said. “Eating better and getting more exercise allows kids to get better at whatever they do – physically and mentally.”

Novacek likened the Fuel Up to Play 60 effort to that of Super Bowl-bound football teams.

“They make it to the Super Bowl because they perform the best as a team in a team effort,” he said. “It’s got to be a team effort to get kids interested in having and keeping a healthy lifestyle.”

AgriLife Extension director Dr. Doug Steele, College Station, who also spoke at the event, said health issues among young people in Texas are among the state’s most serious challenges. He added that data from the office of Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Glenn Hegar shows health care costs account for more than 34 percent of  the state’s government spending from state, federal and other sources.

“These issues belong to all of us and no one group or organization can provide a solution,” Steele said. “I’m glad that AgriLife Extension, Dairy Max and others are part of a coalition trying to make a positive difference in the lives of Texas youth. For example, better nutrition and exercise have been shown to have a positive, therapeutic impact on the treatment of many diseases.”

Patty Littlefield, Dairy Max special projects director, said her organization represents more than 950 dairy farm families serving 31 million people across the southwestern U.S. and is committed to youth health and wellness.

“We are grateful to our dairy farmers’ commitment to improve America’s future by funding programs like Fuel Up to Play 60 and to our partners and stakeholders, which include school and district leaders, health professionals, academia, industry and community members,” Littlefield said. “Fuel Up to Play 60 encourages students to work with adults to make positive lifestyle changes that can be sustained through access to nutrient-rich foods and more opportunities for physical activity.”

Susan Ballabina, AgriLife Extension’s associate director for program development, College Station, said the agency is supplementing and supporting Fuel Up to Play 60 efforts through its own programs and activities.

“Fuel Up to Play 60 is the umbrella program, and we help deliver the health and wellness goals of that program through our programs, such as Texas 4-H Youth Development, Dinner Tonight!, Walk Across Texas and Texas Go! Eat! Grow!” Ballabina said. “Our collaborations with other organizations make our network of agents able to accomplish even more, and we couldn’t be more pleased to be partnering with Dairy Max and the NFL to support the Fuel Up to Play 60 program.”

She said one of the program’s goals is to engage young 4-H leaders, who already have leadership and communications skills, to bring health awareness to others in their respective communities by serving as healthy lifestyle ambassadors.

Trent Warwick, 16, a Hill Country Austin 4-H member and one of the ambassadors attending the event, said he and other 4-H’ers are already spreading the word on youth health and wellness.

“We’ve been involved through 4-H youth competitions, including helping with the first 4-H National Food Challenge competition this past year,” Warwick said. “We’re also promoting health and wellness in schools and in our communities through games, competitions and making presentations about Fuel Up to Play 60 and other programs.”

Warwick said there are currently about a dozen 4-H healthy lifestyle ambassadors throughout the state and he expects more to join the ranks as word spreads.

“We’re hoping through these efforts we can show young people how some relatively small changes in their lifestyle, like making better food choices and being more physically active, can make a big difference in their lives,” said Dr. Bill Dugas, acting vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences for Texas A&M University, the final event presenter.

Dugas said through their combined efforts, coalition partners are serving one of the state’s most valuable assets – its children.

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