She got to punt, pass and kick where the Seahawks practice. She met Richard Sherman’s mother and stood on the turf at CenturyLink Field.
Stephanie Abbott also saw the Seahawks’ Super Bowl trophy.
A third-grader at Lincoln Elementary School, Stephanie was one of four finalists in her age group who qualified to compete in the Seahawks regional NFL Punt, Pass and Kick competition. A total of 20 boys and 20 girls from a five-state region participated in the competition on Dec. 13 at the Seahawks training facility in Renton.
“It was a lot of pressure,” Stephanie said, comparing the event in the huge indoor facility to her efforts at local and state contests held this fall in Oregon City.
Established in 1961, the NFL Punt Pass and Kick competition is open to girls and boys ages 6 to 15. Stephanie is 8 and competed in the 8-9 age division, meaning she was on the young end of her division.
Each participant had one chance to throw a pass, one chance to punt and one chance to kick the ball off of a tee. The total distance of all three — calculated by how far the ball travels minus the distance it lands off a straight line — determines the score.
Stephanie did not match her marks from the state contest, but left Seattle determined to improve and return next season with the goal of qualifying for the national Punt, Pass and Kick finals. She will be able to compete in the same 8-9 age division in 2015.
Aaron Abbott, her father, said Stephanie reacted to her disappointing score of 112 feet by saying, “Well, I’ll just win it next year.”
Stephanie, who plays soccer with FC Salmon Creek and basketball with Hot Shots, said passing was her best event.
Her favorite part of the weekend? Sitting atop CenturyLink Field with her dad to watch the Seahawks play the San Francisco 49ers, Stephanie said. Her mother, Shaun, also attended the game but had to sit elsewhere during the game that drew a record crowd to the stadium.
