By Jim Gehman, Player Engagement Insider
Stefanie Clark’s first grade class at Oakfield (NY) Elementary School had a unique project last fall – write letters to her cousin, Green Bay Packers offensive lineman JC Tretter.
“I was touched,” said Tretter, a third-round draft pick of the Packers in 2013 out of Cornell. “When you’re an offensive lineman, you kind of go unnoticed. To have a group of young kids watching you and looking up to you obviously is a really nice thing to have in the back of your head. They were just so genuinely sweet letters.
“I think probably half the letters I got this year were the letters from the kids. It was nice. I think the art of a handwritten letter with so much technology now is kind of gone to the days of past. I think anybody who gets a handwritten letter really takes that to heart and understands the thought that goes into actually writing something down and not just shooting a text or jotting an email over to you.”
Tretter didn’t reply to the letters. He took it a step further. While visiting his parents in his hometown of Akron, New York following the season, Tretter made the 25 minute drive to Oakfield, which coincidently is his dad, Joe’s, hometown, to visit the students.
“I think Stefanie would just have been happy with a written letter back,” Tretter said. “I thought it would be nice to go and actually see the kids and talk to them and thank them for spending the time and writing letters to me. I wanted to make sure they knew I really appreciated it.
“I think they were a little bit shocked that I was coming (into their classroom). My cousin kept it pretty quiet that I was actually going to come in and talk to them. I think once they figured out what was going on they were excited.”
Excited and ready to ask their visitor some questions.
“It was interesting kind of seeing what’s on their mind,” said Tretter. “What’d they want to ask a professional football player? What do they think goes on? There’s so many little things that you would never think someone was thinking about that they’re not scared to bring up.
“I think my favorite was if we play hide-and-go-seek at the stadium. I think they were a little disappointed when they found out we don’t. Everyone has their favorite teams and they wanted to know the last time we played their favorite team and what happened. Who were my friends on the team? A lot of what your favorite subject was. Things like that.”
Tretter, who also spoke with the other first grade classes as well as the third grade classes, tried to leave the students with something to think about.
“I really just wanted to get across that it doesn’t have to be in athletics or anything like that, whatever you want to do, make sure you work at it,” Tretter said. “I told them that there’s going to be people who have more natural talent or ability and the way you catch up to those people is you work harder than them.
“I also talked about just being a good person and doing the right thing in the right situation and always understanding that you’re setting an example for people whatever you’re doing.”
The young kids weren’t the only ones who took something away from the visit.
“I think it just kind of gives you a shot in the arm, a little rejuvenation,” Tretter said. “Sometimes it gets lost that you have really young, impressionable kids looking up to you and kind of looking for role models. I think especially at that age, first grade, they have no sense of impossibility.”