Midlothian teen competes in Pepsi NFLcompetition
By Lynn Warren CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Lee family photo Travon Lee, an eighth grader at Midlothian Middle School, practices his kicking skills before the Pepsi National Football League's Punt, Pass & Kick youth sports competition.

It's logical to assume that the final 900 competitors from a field of more than four million in a sports skills competition would have had extensive training and coaching in their chosen skills.

But that's not the case for one recent competitor in the Pepsi National Football League's Punt, Pass & Kick youth sports competition. Travon Lee, a 13-year-old eighth grader at Midlothian Middle School, rose to the top echelon of this national competition with virtually no formal training in any of the skills at which he excels. However, that didn't stop him from advancing from the local level to the sectional competition and then on to the Washington Redskins Team Championship, where he earned an invitation to show off his skills at FedEx Field before a Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers game last November.

The Punt, Pass & Kick competition pits boys and girls in four age groups from 8-15 years old against each other with the ultimate goal of competing as the final 16 at an AFC title game this month. It is the largest youth skills competition in sports and has seen scores of future NFLplayers compete including Dan Marino, the NFL's all-time leader in passing, and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

Lee family photo Travon placed third in his age group during the Washington Redskins Team- Championship.

Travon placed third in his age group and was thus eliminated from advancing to the final championship round. But what makes this apparent failure such a great triumph is that Travon was able to eliminate hundreds of thousands of his competitors with virtually no formalized training. He does play football and has for the past four years in the Chesterfield Quarterback League, but not as a quarterback or even a kicker. He has spent his brief football career as a tackle, playing both offense and defense. He's never thrown a pass in an organized football game and had only one brief stint kicking off for his minor football squad.

So, how did he advance so far in the competition? "Oh, throwing the ball around with friends and playing touch football at my church on Wednesday night," explained Travon.

Natural ability earned him the experience of his young life, competing at an NFLvenue and attending an NFLgame. "Being on that field for the first time was amazing," Travon admitted.

The morning of the Redskins/Panthers game, Travon was bused to the stadium entrance, checked through security, separated from his parents, suited up in a locker room, grouped with his age category and then marched onto the field to practice.

"We only got one chance to practice each of the skills before we had to compete," said Travon.

When it came time to compete, Travon admits he was "a little nervous," causing him to miss his punt. "I messed it up, which probably made me make 3rd place. I just shanked it."

But with the resiliency of youth, he passed off the mistake. "I still have two more chances." He can compete up until age 15, and "I'm going to practice a lot more than I did this time," he said.

The actual game seemed more exciting than the competition; the Redskins provided him with a rare 17-13 win. But it was the sheer size of the stadium that he remembers best.

"Our seats were way up at the top of the stadium. I told my mom, 'I'll never be able to walk all the way up there.'"

Luckily, he didn't have to. An escalator took him and his family most of the way.