The local competition for Punt, Pass & Kick (PPK) in Madison kicked off on Sept. 30 at Palmer Park.

“The NFL developed PPK specifically for physical education teachers, parks and recreation departments and coaches so that they may better teach the fundamentals of punting, passing and kicking a football,” Gayle Milam said.

Milam is serving as state coordinator for PPK and works as special event coordinator for the City of Madison.

PPK also promotes teamwork needed to successfully play sports, Milam said. “Regardless of a player’s ability, the NFL encourages the promotion of fun and appreciation of the game while teaching and developing important skills.”

Competition is open for boys and girls from 6 to 15 years old. “We’ve hosted local competitions at each elementary school in Madison,” Milam said.

As part of the competition, each participant is allowed one punt, one pass and one placekick. Scores are based on both distance and accuracy.

“For example, if a participant passes the ball 100 feet, but the ball lands 30 feet to the right of the measuring tape, the final score is calculated by deducting 30 from 100 for a final score of 70,” Milam said.

Scores are based on exact feet and inches (partial inches rounded to nearest inch). Participants cannot receive a negative score but can receive a score of zero.

“The top finisher in each of the boys’ and girls’ divisions from the five age brackets of each local competition will advance to the sectional round,” Milam said. Madison will host the sectional contest on Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. at Madison City Schools Stadium.

As state coordinator, Milam confirms that all local competitions affiliated with the Atlanta Falcons are held. She then codes the local contests and assigns these to the proper sectional competitions.

After sectionals, Milam will work with the Georgia state coordinator to contact winners. Milam will attend the team championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Nov. 29.

For more information, visit nflppk.com.