Even though Saul Williams just turned 11, he’ll be a 12th man for life.
The Helen Haller Elementary fifth-grader and active member at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club just had an opportunity of a lifetime to take part in the Seattle Seahawks’ preseason game against the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 3.
He was invited to run on the field and remove the tee with the Hawks’ mascot Blitz after the opening kickoff. To make the event even more special, it was Saul’s birthday and his first time at a football game.
In a slightly hoarse voice and still wearing his VIP pass around his neck inside the Sequim Boys & Girls Club the following day, Saul says the experience was “the best experience ever.”
“I lost my voice so much I could barely even hear myself,” he said.
Dave Miller, the Carroll C. Kendall unit director in Sequim, said they were given an opportunity from the Washington State Boys & Girls Club to pick one club member and the local club chose Saul.
“He’s one of those kids who could be a poster child for the Boys & Girls Club,” Miller said.
“We picked him for his participation. He’s in 11 in-house programs and volunteers for everything, most recently a shred event at Castell Insurance. He’s also one of seven kids.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula returned to CenturyLink Field again this year with 12 club members and three adults through the Seahawks’ Spirit of 12 program where Boys & Girls Clubs hand out programs and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation matching sales to support healthy lifestyles and teen programs at local clubs.
Soaring in
Once in Seattle, Saul said they sold programs at Touchdown City and afterward he and Miller went out to eat. Saul’s choice? Garlic fries.
Miller treated Saul to a Seahawks football too that Blitz later signed.
They checked out their seats for the game and went to the VIP lounge and later the field where they watched some warm-ups and took pictures. When the Seahawks came out, Saul said it felt awesome.
“When the fire shot out, I could feel it,” he said.
Then came the opportunity to run on the field with Blitz.
After the kickoff, Saul’s name appeared on the big screen with the Seahawks thanking him.
“Once we saw it, the lady behind us said, ‘I didn’t know we were sitting next to a super fan,’” Saul said.
Miller and Saul went back to their seats and the stars kept aligning for the 11-year-old as Wilson at that moment connected with wide receiver Tyler Lockett for a 63-yard touchdown. They went onto win 31-21.
An opportunity of a lifetime
Miller said the Seahawks game is one example of what they do to support children at the club.
“We’re able to do these things that are once in a lifetime experiences especially when you have a child like Saul who puts so much of himself into this club,” he said. “For him to be able to have those experiences is what’s it all about.”
Saul moved to Sequim at age 8 and said he “wouldn’t have done any of these things unless we moved here.”
“(The club) means everything to me,” he said.
“I get to go on trips like to Canada, the zoo and other field trips (like the) Mariners game, Sounders, Seattle Storm game. I go to every game. With the Junior Rangers we go on hikes and my two favorite ones are canoeing on Lake Crescent and at Sol Duc Hot Springs.”
Saul said he plays baseball and flag football and is considering tackle football next year.
In the club, he’s a member of nearly everything from Airplane Club to Robotics Club and he serves as co-president of Boys II Men, a youth mentoring program.
He represents the club at the Sequim Irrigation Festival and Sequim Lavender Festival booth and recently helped with a few back to school events.
So why does Saul do so much?
“Then other people are going to get a chance to do stuff,” he said.
Saul plans to keep going strong with the club but the Seahawks one stands out.
Will he always remember it?
“Yup,” he said with a big smile.
For more on the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, call 683-8095 or visit www.bgc-op.org.
