Vice President Gore Salutes Smoke-Free Soccer Team
The final score was United States 1, China 0, but the real winner in the recent women's soccer exhibition game at RFK Stadium was the smoke-free message championed by the U.S. team. Vice President Al Gore lent his support to the Smoke-Free Kids and Soccer Campaign when he greeted the team and local players at the White House on the day before the game.
Virginia area youth soccer players (front, from l) Meredith
Forbes, Lauren Shannon, Pheven Kahasay and Angela Carrato
were invited to the White House recently to meet Vice President Al
Gore as he welcomed members of the U.S. Women's National
Soccer Team (rear). Gore commended the Olympics-bound players
for their efforts to promote participation in soccer as a way to
reduce smoking among adolescent girls. Smoking rates among
teenage girls recently surpassed rates for boys. U.S. team
cocaptain Julie Foudy told the young players "(She'd) rather smoke
a defender than a cigarette."
Smoke Free Kids and Soccer was started by the Clinton administration to address rising smoking rates among young girls. The U.S. Women's Soccer Team has been touring the country promoting a smoke-free lifestyle as part of the campaign, which advocates soccer as a healthy, positive alternative to cigarette use.
The campaign is a collaboration between the Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Soccer, the governing body of American soccer. DHHS participating agencies include the National Cancer Institute, the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
DHHS Secretary Donna Shalala said the campaign, "challenges the tobacco industry for control over our playgrounds and soccer fields. The sport of soccer and the U.S. team are powerful allies in the fight to protect children from tobacco."
Posters featuring U.S. players and the smoke-free message were distributed to young soccer enthusiasts at the game. The posters show color photos of players in action, with the message, "Fast, Fearless, Strong, Smart — and Smoke-Free." The game and the smoke-free message were carried on ESPN, the first time a women's soccer game has been broadcast live in the U.S.
Youth soccer players representing a local American Stop Smoking Intervention Study, or ASSIST, coalition (a collaborative project of NCI and the American Cancer Society) participated in the half-time activities. Reducing teen smoking is critical to the fight against cancer, since one in four female high school seniors smokes. The increasing popularity of women's soccer provides an opportunity to deliver a positive, smoke-free and healthy message to youth.
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