Just in time for the Draft of the 2008 football season, The Lifting As We Climb Foundation, Inc. in conjunction with NIKE and SPARQ, will be hosting the “NIKE SPARQ TEAM CHALLENGE” on Saturday, April 12th at Anacostia High School.  The team competition is scouting the nation’s top high school football teams to find the country’s best athletes.  All teams will compete in four SPARQ football tests: vertical jump, 40-yard dash, bench press and shuttle, and will receive a Team SPARQ Rating based on the performance of their top five athletes. The SPARQ rating is a powerful new tool for measuring overall athleticism.

The day long challenge is free and open to all Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC area youth between the ages of 10 and 18, and is expected to attract nearly 300 area youth providing them with nationwide exposure and an opportunity to display their skills and talent for Nike officials and high school coaches from the Washington, DC metropolitan area. “We are extremely grateful to provide local DC area youth with an official football combine right in their own backyard.  This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for underprivileged kids who normally don’t have the funding or resources to travel to the big expensive combines that are usually held out of state,” said Siraaj Hasan, President and Co-Founder. The Lifting As We Climb Foundation, Inc. Athletes will receive a free profile page with SPARQ Locker Room, an electronic newsletter which will highlight their certified ratings from the challenge.  The SPARQ Locker Room is viewed by college coaches around the country weekly.  Each coach that has 20 or more athletes in attendance will receive a SPARQ development kit. WHEN:   Saturday, April 12th         11:00 AM - 4:00 PM WHERE:  Anacostia High School
              
 1601 R Street S.E.  Washington, DC For more information, please contact Ceasar Nettles (202) 905-5825 or www.liftingasweclimb.com