Johnny Hekker Talks Teamwork

Fuel Up to Play 60’s Youth Advisory Panel meets over the phone every month to offer their thoughts, opinions and ideas for the program. Recently, they had a very special guest join them: Johnny Hekker, punter for the St. Louis Rams! Johnny attended the 2014 Student Ambassador Summit and coached Ambassadors as they ran football drills, so he is a Fuel Up to Play 60 Team expert. Check out highlights from their conversation below!

JH: My definition of a great team is a group of people that really deep down enjoy working with each other. I think what helps make up a good team are people who aren’t trying to do everything themselves but are working with the skill set that they have and just doing what they can to the best of their ability, being able to trust one another in the process as well. That’s really big as far as helping a team be successful, and I think a good team is something that everyone wants to be a part of. As soon as you have that good team in place, everyone just kind of naturally ends up rooting for you and wanting you to do well.

Abby, NH: I know Fuel Up to Play 60 has changed my life, so I wanted to know how it has changed yours.

JH: That’s a great question. You know, I’ll tell you, Fuel Up to Play 60 has just opened my eyes to all the different ways that kids can be getting active these days and how it’s much the same from when I was growing up. I was in your guys’ shoes just a couple of years ago and it’s just really awesome to see how empowering this program is for kids your age; to be able to really make changes in their school and changes that will stick around.

Grace, WI: So, you’re a football player, so you’ve definitely experienced some wins and some losses with games.  How do you keep your team motivated, your attitude positive and keep everybody on track?

JH: That is a great, great question. You know, in order to be successful, you’ve got to be able to put losses behind you and even sometimes put wins behind you. I think just keeping level-headed and trying to treat every week the same, whether it is a loss or a victory, you’ve got to go in with the same mentality: that I have a special job that I have to do for this team to win this next game. So I have to make sure that I am working my best so that I don’t let my teammates down. I think that’s something that kind of fuels me to prepare every week, that it is kind of the last opportunity that I have to go in there and do my best.

Bobby, FL: I want to ask you, besides playing football, how do you stay in shape?

JH: Awesome, good question, Bobby. It’s nice to hear a question from Florida. I really enjoyed playing basketball when I was in grade school. I like to go out on the street and play catch with the football. Really enjoy a nice game of tag if you get the right crowd. That’s kind of fun for me. I know you don’t see many adults playing tag, but I’ve got a funny group of friends and sometimes we can get crazy and play some tag. But just running around, maybe going on a jog with my dog. Playing around with her kind of helps keep me active, and I just try to make things a competition when I’m doing them so that way I’m working a little bit extra harder.

Tyler, CO: When you did that fake punt against the Seattle Seahawks, it was cool and I was wondering if you decided to do it or if it was a team thing?

JH:  Well, thank you. It’s always fun to pull off a fake punt but that’s the kind of thing where I always have to get the call from my coaches just because you know, they know what to do and when to do it, so that’s the kind of thing that our head coach makes the call and he talks to our special teams coach and he talks to me. We have to make sure that they are communicating properly with each other so that we all know we are on the same page so we can go in and execute those fakes and help our team win.

Madison, ME: How is your team able to work together for the common goal of winning, without a lot of conflict?

JH: Right. Yeah, that’s a very common goal, especially in the NFL and I think the same way in your schools, because people are coming from different backgrounds, they’re coming from different colleges they went to and some guys are coming from different NFL teams. I think having a set of core values behind the team can really help you all to be on the same page. You have to make sure that you have these established goals so that you all have something that you can work together towards every day and that will be the unifying factor that brings you together to work for wins in our case, or in your case, Fuel Up to Play 60 participation.

Johnathan, OH: How has Fuel Up to Play 60 helped you to become a better leader?

JH: I would say Fuel Up to Play 60 has helped me to be a better leader just because it’s given me a platform to talk to kids like yourself who want to be leaders. That’s the kind of the thing that you need to see in order to be inspired. You need to know that there are people out there taking hold of your message and using it to become better at whatever you are helping them to do. I think seeing the amount of support that you all get from your Program Advisors inspires me to want to help you guys make better choices around your schools and to help lead your classmates to healthier lives.

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Interested in joining the Youth Advisory Panel? Email StudentAmbassador@FuelUpToPlay60.com to learn more!