Most people associate victory at the Penn Relays with sheer athletic talent, but yesterday at the Palestra, a group of Philadelphia notables looked to teach students that it takes more to be a champion -- most importantly, academic excellence, hard work and a positive self-image.
Yesterday kicked off the fourth annual Penn Relays School Days program, an event hosted by the University and headlined by Pat Croce, former Philadelphia 76ers president and owner. The event is designed to teach local children the value of staying in school and making good decisions.
The Philly Phanatic -- mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies -- and the Penn Quaker were on hand to welcome the elementary and middle school students to college basketball's most historic gym.
The students were especially pleased by the Phanatic's antics -- stealing children's baseball caps, rubbing his stomach on a teacher's bald head, dancing with Palestra custodian Dan Harrell and bowing down to Penn basketball star Ugonna Onyekwe.
The two mascots were then joined by the Temple Owl and 76ers mascot Hip-Hop, who shot confetti into the crowd. The Sixers Dance Team was also present, signing autographs for the children and even Onyekwe.
Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky also welcomed the children to the historic Palestra, listing some of the great players, such as Kobe Bryant, who have played on the court. Bryant's name was met with a chorus of boos by both teachers and students.
"Everything that you do for the rest of your lives -- in the classroom or on the field -- do it as best as you can," Bilsky told the crowd.
Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb spoke in a video presentation, stressing the importance of goal-setting and confidence.
Penn women's basketball coach Kelly Greenberg, Onyekwe and Penn football standout Vince Alexander each spoke of the importance of the proper combination of academics and athletics.
The outspoken Croce was the final speaker, telling the crowd about the many times in his life when people told him, "That's impossible," yet he succeeded.
Croce instructed the students to stand up and yell, "You can do it!" whenever he said, "That's impossible."
Croce used the challenges that he encountered between May 15 to June 15, 1999, as an example of ways he has overcome adversity.
He told the students that people told him that the 76ers would never make the NBA Finals, but they succeeded because "they believed in themselves" and worked as a team.
"I'd like to break that big Shaq's toe," he said, also noting disappointment in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals.
Later that month, however, marked Croce's worst moment -- a motorcycle accident which almost cost him his foot.
Croce said that people told him he would never be able to recover, but he proved them wrong.
He also spoke of his successful life story -- rising from a physical therapist to a trainer for the 76ers and Flyers to the owner of a large physical therapy center to an owner of the Sixers.
"You have to have dreams," Croce said. "If you don't, your dreams can't come true."
Both students and teachers said they were delighted by the presentation.
"I thought what the players and coaches had to say was very appropriate to the occasion," said Mary Lee Fitzpatrick, a seventh-grade teacher at the Presentation Blessed Virgin Mary School in Wynnewood, Pa.
