Dec. 29, 2013

On Sunday, the Carolina and Wisconsin football squads participated in the Day for Kids event at Disney Quest, a five-story indoor theme park in the heart of Downtown Disney. GamecocksOnline host Cory Burkarth gives his Day-4 video report from Florida.

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ORLANDO – Both the South Carolina and Wisconsin football teams spent Sunday morning at DisneyQuest for the 2013 Day for Kids Event. The morning consisted of a fun morning of games with players and physically, emotionally and financially challenged children from the greater Orlando area.

“Our players are really good about visiting kids that maybe have a lot of struggles in life,” said South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier. “Hopefully we can bring some joy and fun to the children here at Disney. It’s good for all of us to give back every chance we get.”

DisneyQuest is an indoor interactive theme park in the heart of Downtown Disney located inside Disney World. Each child at the event was paired with one or two players from each team. The children helped lead the way for more than an hour and half as they journeyed through the five-story game world. The line was ongoing on the third floor at Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam where kids and players were actual pinballs playing a simulated game that was on a larger than life projection screen. Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster on the third floor had continuous action as players and kids rode in bumper cars and battled each other with toy foam cannon balls (asteroids) at each other.

Ride the Comix was a very popular game as players and kids put on an interactive helmet to battle villains with an interactive sword. Indoor basketball hoops, Skeeball and air hockey were steadily busy. Classic arcade games like Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. among others were being patrolled on both the fourth and fifth floors.

“Some of us were in that position years ago,” noted Sutton. “It’s always great to put a smile on a young kid’s face and let them know, `It’s alright, the world can be an evil place sometimes, but keep looking forward to your future and just whatever you can do, keep pushing forward. It’s important to instill in their mind that they can overcome. It’s always great to give back and be involved in the community. At the end of the day, it’s all about the fans and we want to give back and show our love and loyalty to them.”

Junior defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles enjoyed the team’s experience two years ago before the 2012 Capital One Bowl and was anxious again to be part of the day.

“I was looking at pictures yesterday from when we were here two years ago,” said Quarles. “It was a real fun experience. It’s always fun to give back to the community and have fun with the kids. I think I may even have more fun, I’m a kid at heart.”