Sherry Rex launched her body in the air, aiming for a spot a few feet in front of Whitehall Special Teams coach Mike Yadush who was teaching the assembled crowd the art of blocking a punt.

Rex was a quick study, successfully connecting with the football before landing in a pile of blocking dummies.

It was one of many activities that the women participated in as part of the Premier Annual Whitehall Zephyr Football Mom's Clinic last Saturday.

The clinic was created by Rex who wanted to give moms a better understanding of the game their sons and grandsons played.

"First of all, we wanted to get the moms more involved in the game itself," said Rex "We have a lot of moms who sit in the stands and don't really know exactly what happens. So it just gives them a little bit of a closer feel of what their sons are actually going through."

The information wasn't limited to the playing field. Rex said it also provided moms with nutritional tips for their sons, and what they should be doing at home when they're not playing or at practicing. It also included a player's perspective about the role their mom played while playing football at Whitehall with Zach Delp as the featured speaker on that subject.

The clinic offered a lot of information, taking them through the phases of the game from coaches Brian Gilbert, Harold Fairclough and Yadush, as well as getting insight from a local referee. Rex said the day was meant to go beyond simple Football 101.

"It's to bring the community together, the team together, and gave a lot of interaction between parents, coaches and players, and just for the love of the game," said Rex.

Rex, nee Concordia, said she learned the game from her father and brother, Tony, who played at Muhlenberg College as a wide receiver. She was also a cheerleader and learned to love the game through her involvement on the sidelines.

As she sat in the stands watching sons Jacob and Chad play the game, she listened to other moms ask questions, and thought "what a great way for people to get involved." As a member of the booster club, she felt this would be an innovative way to introduce the game and get people more participating. She also didn't see anything else similar to what she envisioned with the mom's clinic in the Lehigh Valley, and hopes that every year participation will increase.

The moms learned what their sons did on specific plays, whether it was on offense, defense or special teams, and what a certain infraction meant when the ref tosses the dreaded yellow flag.

Head coach Gilbert said that for the first year they had a nice turnout, and hopes that it grows with each successive clinic. He also said it was an opportunity for them to learn about the game and run some drills n conjunction with what they learned.

"They seem like they're having fun and they're asking great questions," said Gilbert. "That's the point of today. We want the moms and grandmothers to be able to be up in the stands and understand the game a little bit better."

He said it helps them understand why they have to spend so much time teaching the game to their sons and grandsons since their involvement in football takes up a large part of their lives while at Whitehall.

"I think we're accomplishing that." said Gilbert. "That was one of our goals today."