THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
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DANVILLE — The 4 a.m. wake-up call was rough but worth it for members of Danville High School’s girls’ flag-football team, who took a trip to Chicago on Tuesday to visit the Bears’ training camp and football clinic.
One of their coaches, Bryan Simmons, said the players had fun and learned new skills, and also got to meet some of the other flag-football players in the state.
“It’s been a long but fun day,” Simmons said from Lake Forest on Tuesday afternoon.
The inaugural Danville High team also got to watch a Bears practice and meet head coach Matt Eberflus, whom they thanked for helping them by providing training equipment and uniforms, including home and away jerseys.
The Danville players got to take pictures with and get autographs from the Bears players hosting the flag-football clinic, including running back D’Andre Swift.
“They’re having a great time,” Simmons said when things were almost over for the day. “We got here at Halas Hall and saw the (Bears) facility and Hall of Fame.”
The girls took a photo with Eberflus, got autographs from a few players and had some good food, Simmons said.
The clinic was run by Gustavo Silva, the Bears’ manager of youth football and community programs, who worked Tuesday with players from Danville and four other teams — West Aurora, Joliet, Chicago and Zion-Benton, according to Mark Bacys, the Danville district’s athletics facilitator.
Simmons said the Danville players were building on and reviewing skills and learning some new ones, too.
As a coach new to this sport and the rules, Simmons said he was learning quite a few things as well.
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