Michelle Obama waves to the kids at Oriole Park
The children, all members of either the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program or the Boys and Girls Club of America, arrived at Camden Yards for afternoon with the First Lady, as well as with players from the Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays, participating in drills that encouraged them to run, throw, hit and catch.
The ultimate goal of the Let’s Move! initiative is to increase children’s active play time to at least 60 minutes per day, as well as to make more healthful eating choices.
“Are you ready to be healthier?” Obama asked the group of children who were gathered in front of the podium.
“Yes!” they yelled back.
“Are you ready to eat more vegetables?” she continued. Another cheer followed.
“Are you ready to sweat?” she asked. “Scream?”
The children gave a feeble cheer. Obama shrugged. “All right, let’s do it.”
With the home crowd firmly in her corner, Obama traversed the field, visiting various stations where children were practicing baseball skills. By the time she got to the area where children were learning to catch ground balls, she had reverted to being a hands-on mom, helping kids crouch into position, high-fiving them after each try and being game enough to show off her own throwing skills (and in one case where the ball flew out of her hands and over her head, her lack of catching skills).
The afternoon also featured the debut of public service announcements for let’s Move!, which were recorded by Obama and all 30 Major League baseball teams, to be shown in various team markets. The PSAs use clips of MLB action interspersed with the First Lady’s encouragement to children to get outside and play. Each team has a spokesman for the program. The Orioles spokesman is catcher Matt Wieters.
