The Green Bay Packers hosted 'Football 101, an NFL Workshop for Women' Tuesday night, an interactive and entertaining evening geared for women to learn the basics of football.
The event, which was sponsored by Usinger's Sausage, took place in the Lambeau Field Atrium and in the Don Hutson Center. More than 240 women took part in the workshop, a vast increase over the approximately 70 participants last year.
Packers Hall of Famer Johnnie Gray led the evening's activities, which included a welcome reception, a general lecture about football, a question-and-answer session with wives of Packers players, coaches and other personnel, an exlcusive behind-the-scenes tour of Lambeau Field and a clinic and drills with Packers players at the Don Hutson Center.
Players who helped out in the clinic included Kevin Barry, Doug Pederson, Grey Ruegamer, Donnell Washington, and Scott Wells.
Lynn, one of the many participants in attendance for the first time, spoke briefly following the question and answer session with the players' wives, and was enjoying herself and looking forward to the on-field clinic from the players.
"It was really nice," she said. "Johnnie Gray was awesome. It's nice to see what the wives look like and the food was great - it was a nice time. We're still just half way through; I'm really excited about going down on the field and meeting some of the players."
It appears that Gray's lessons on the technical side of the game were a big hit, as evidenced from talking to more of the ladies.
"I really enjoyed when Johnnie came out and showed the different plays," said Mary Jo, another first-timer at the workshop. "To see them versus hearing someone talking about it, I could really understand it better. I thought he did an excellent job, it helped me understand some things that I wasn't quite sure on."
She went on to say how the night's experience will help her appreciate more of what's going on in future Packers games.
"I think I'll pay attention more to what I learned tonight and watch for it more during the games. That will make the action on the field even more interesting for me."
Michelle Palubicki, the Packers' marketing manager, was pleased with the night's activities, saying that the event was open to the public this year, a big jump from last year, and that she sees bigger and better things for the future of the workshop.
"By all accounts when people were leaving, they were commenting on what a great time they had and told me 'I'll see you next year'," she said.
A portion of the proceeds from 'Football 101' benefited the Packers Women's Association (PWA), a non-profit organization whose main focus is "teaming up with the community."
