GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — On Sundays, they’re stars, playing in front of tens of thousands of fans at Lambeau Field. But like any athlete, they had to start somewhere.
On this edition of Youth Sports: Beyond the Score, NBC 26 spoke with Packers players to share their thoughts on their youth sports careers and offer advice for today’s adolescent athletes.
- Pro Bowl linebackers Kenny Clark and Elgton Jenkins both played multiple sports in high school and credit that experience with helping them make it to the NFL.
- Clark wrestled for his final three years of high school and admitted he “fell in love” with the sport.
- Jenkins played basketball until his senior year of high school. He said the game helped him with his footwork and ability to keep defenders in front of him.
- Kristian Welch, a graduate of nearby Iola-Scandinavia High School, encouraged adolescent athletes to find mighty support and follow their dreams.
In an era of pricey training and athletic specialization, Pro Bowl players Kenny Clark and Elgton Jenkins say they learned football the old-fashioned way.
“I was just playing around the block,” Clark said of his childhood soccer experience. “I was catching the ball, hitting cars. I was doing most of it.”
“Obviously where I come from, we don’t have a lot of places where we can do things like (specialized training),” said Jenkins, who hails from northern Mississippi. “Basically for me, it was just going to practice and trying to get better from there.”
Clark and Jenkins have a size advantage over most people, but both stressed the importance of practice and honing their skills. Each player separately said that playing multiple sports is an advantage.
“It definitely helped my game,” said Clark, who spent the last three years of high school in Southern California. “I was just so competitive and I just fell in love with it.”
“Really, it’s just my mentality,” Clark added. “Being in that hot room. You have to be a different type of person to compete and compete at a high level.”
Jenkins, who is 6-foot-11 and weighs 295 pounds, was involved in track and field and played basketball until his senior year of high school.
“Just being able to stay in front of people on defense,” Jenkins said of his basketball experience. “I think it helps you develop your athleticism, just working on your craft. And just the determination and the competitive edge you want to have.”
Kristian Welch, a Wisconsin native and Packers special teams ace, provides a unique perspective.
Welch was a multi-sport star at Iola-Scandinavia High School. He was a WIAA state qualifier in track and field and said basketball — not football — was his primary sport early on.
“It wasn’t until halfway through high school that I really wanted to pursue football,” Welch said.
A self-described “wild kid” and “full of energy,” Welch played a variety of sports from a adolescent age, adding that he began strength and speed training before entering high school.
“Shoot, I think we started speed drills before school in the fifth or sixth grade,” Welch said. “We’d be there at 6:45 or 7:00 a.m. before school started practicing.”
Only the best of the best make it to the NFL — and everyone’s path is different — but three Packers players agree it’s only possible with strenuous work and commitment.
“It’s not something you can do better or worse and not be consistent,” Clark said. “It’s something you have to attack every day and have the right attitude.”
“Just believe in yourself and just be willing to work hard,” Welch added. “If you have those two things and a support system around you of coaches, teachers and family that really cares, you never know what can happen.”
