WYOMING
- Daniel Sakai had never won anything in his 10-year-old life.
So imagine the shy fifth-grader's surprise when his last-minute contest entry was a winner. To his classmates and teachers at Wyoming Middle School, he won big.
On Tuesday, as the Tristate's winner in the Take a Player to School Program, Daniel, his twin sister, Lindsey, and brother Christopher, 13, arrived at school in a shiny, white stretch limousine.
His classmates in teacher Katie Moriarty's homeroom erupted in cheers and laughter as Daniel emerged with a little help from new-found friend, Bengals safety Greg Myers.
''I think it was fun and cool,'' Daniel said of his first ride in a limousine. Otherwise, the presence of Daniel's guest for part of the day rendered him speechless.
Not his classmates, though. They lobbed questions at Mr. Myers, and he deftly picked them off.
''Who do you like better, Boomer or Jeff Blake?''
''Did you ever injure someone?''
''Will you tell Boomer that I like his barbecue sauce?''
In its sixth year, the program, sponsored by the National Football League, JCPenney and Starter, brings professional football players into the classroom to motivate students to set goals and stay in school, said Dave Lockett, NFL manager of corporate communications.
The school receives $1,000 for Daniel's winning entry, and Daniel won several prizes. His classmates each got autographed hats, ate lunch with Mr. Myers and played a quick game of football at recess.
Show-and-tell at the school will never be the same.
When his football career is over, Mr. Myers said, he'd like to pursue a dream to become a doctor.
The kids were floored.
''Set goals on your performance, not on the outcome,'' he said. ''You have control over how much effort you put forth yourself.''
With that, he challenged them to stay away from cigarettes, alcohol and drugs and set high standards for themselves.
For children like Daniel, professional athletes often seem out of reach. Winning the contest gave Daniel a new perspective.
''I think he's nice,'' Daniel said. ''When I met him, I felt kind of shy, like I couldn't talk. But not now. I think we'll keep in touch. We're going to be penpals.''
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