Winchester Star:Area Teen Wins NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick Competition

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http://www.winchesterstar.com/TheWinchesterStar/031129/Sports_armel.asp

Armel Puts Skills to the Test

Area Teen Wins NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick Competition

By Michael N. Graff

The Winchester Star

It’s a dream of most children — and some adults seeking a second of glory — to be put on the JumboTron at a sporting event.

Bethaney Armel, an eighth-grader at Frederick County Middle, proudly displays the plaque she received for winning the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick Redskins Team Championship this month.

For 13-year-old Bethaney Armel, that overwhelming experience came true on Nov. 9 at the Washington Redskins-Seattle Seahawks game.

Armel, a Gore resident, also had her name plastered on the screen. All for winning the 12- to 13-year-old girls’ competition of the NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick Redskins Team Championship.

Needless to say, it was a bit stunning.

“Wow,” Armel said. “I was so nervous. So I just kind of stood there and smiled.”

An eighth-grader at Frederick County Middle School, Armel is now waiting to find out if her scores were good enough to reach the National Finals — which takes the top four scores from the NFL’s 32 team champions.

So Armel is the official representative of the Redskins in the competition.

She received an official team jersey and pants, along with a plaque for her victory.

“I loved it,” Armel said. “It was just awesome. I didn’t think I’d do any good, but I just went out there and tried my best. That was all I could do.”

Armel entered the competition at the urging of several relatives, peers and gym teachers.

She said she’s played in her backyard with her older cousins, Gary Wymer (22) and Justin Anderson (15). She jokingly says she can throw farther than Anderson.

“Gary told me I should try it because of how good I can throw the ball,” Armel said.

Armel also participates in softball, volleyball and basketball.

“She’s been in all sports,” said June Armel, Bethaney’s mother. “She’s just got that love for them.”

Last year, Armel actually participated in and won the local the Frederick County Parks & Recreation local Punt, Pass & Kick competition. But she finished second at the sectionals in Vienna and didn’t advance to the Team competition.

This year, she swept through both the local and sectionals.

And while she can’t remember all of her scores in the Team competition at FedEx Field, she said she had a 92-foot throw.

The scores are based on distance and accuracy — the accuracy is subtracted from the distance. For example, a competitor throws the ball 110 feet and it lands 15 feet to the right or left of the line, the score is 95.

After a throw, a punt and a placekick, the scores are added to figure the final tally.

Armel will have to wait until Dec. 22 to hear about the National Finals, which will take place at a playoff game that has yet to be determined.

Armel can’t fathom what it would be like to compete for the biggest prize on that kind of stage.

“All I know is I’m really going to be nervous,” Armel said. “I’ll just try to do my best.”