Arlington Heights girl in NFL Punt, Pass & Kick finals
Arlington Heights 12-year-old Katy Eidle will aim to become a pro in her own right during this weekend's Pro Bowl festivities in Orlando, where she'll try to become the best punter, passer and kicker in her age group.
The Thomas Middle School student will have two chances Friday afternoon at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to get top scores for distance and accuracy in the annual NFL Punt, Pass & Kick National Championships, where 40 finalists from across the country are competing.
The skill competition, a hallmark of local park districts nationwide since 1961, counts Troy Aikman and Dan Marino among its famous alumni.
Katy will try to beat out three other girls in the 12-13 age group - two from California and one from Washington. They all worked their way up from local, sectional and regional championship rounds to get to the finals, as the top four scorers nationwide.
Four finalists in five age divisions for each sex, from ages 6 to 15, are competing in the finals.
Katy said she didn't think she would make it to this level but felt all along she had the talent. She wanted to enter the contest in 2015 but missed the first local competition.
“I said, 'Hey wouldn't it be great to try it, Katy?'” said dad Scott Eidle. “Her numbers kept beating everyone else's. It's something she loves to do.”
It doesn't take very long on a typical Sunday afternoon, when Katy's watching multiple football games on the NFL RedZone channel, for her to ask her dad to go outside and play catch with the pigskin.
She's also a soccer player, playing since age 7 on park district teams, so she knows how to kick.
Her best scores so far have been a punt of 90 feet, pass of 95 feet, and kick of 118 feet.
Distances are taken using a tape measure that's extended down the center of a football field. Winners aren't chosen on only how far down field the ball gets, but how close they get to the centerline tape measure.
“She's got a cannon for an arm,” Scott said. “She can really kick. It's a question of whether she can keep it accurate.”
Father and daughter held a final practice Wednesday afternoon at the Soccer City indoor sports arena in Palatine before leaving for Florida on Thursday.
The finals are scheduled for Friday afternoon, after which the young athletes will get to mingle with NFL players during a photo op session. All participants and their guests get airfare, hotel accommodations and tickets to the Pro Bowl, which will be played Sunday night.
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