BO KNOWS HOW TO BE A CHAMPION

Bo knows what it takes to be a champion.

Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson told more than 5,000 Southeast Missouri schoolchildren Wednesday that he might not be alive today if he had listened to people who told him what he couldn't do. Instead, he overcame a severe stutter and a history of fighting, bad behavior and low grades to become a successful professional football and baseball player.

Jackson is president of the Healthsouth Sports Medicine Council, a nonprofit organization that developed the Go For It! roadshow being held at the Show Me Center. The council consists of sports medicine physicians, orthopedic surgeons and numerous sports legends, including Troy Aikman, Roger Clemens, Michael Jordan and Kristi Yamaguchi. An estimated 15,000 students attended this week"s event, sponsored by Healthsouth and Coca Cola."I was targeted to be dead or in jail before I turned 21," Jackson said during the show. "It's easy for a person to quit at anything, but if you want to be successful go out and work hard to be successful at just what people are saying you can't do." Jackson was one of four professional and Olympic athletes who challenged Southeast Missouri schoolchildren to dare to be champions. Also attending the show were Jennifer Chandler, a Olympic gold medalist in springboard diving, and Super Bowl champions Steve DeOssi and Matt Bahr.

Students attending the show heard short, live and videotaped messages encouraging them to exercise, set and achieve personal goals, and avoid drugs and alcohol. The messages were intertwined with a high-intensity mixture of music, dancing and cheers. Athletes also coached teams of students and teachers through a variety of activities."We do it all by communicating with children through a medium they can relate to," said show manager Phil Christian. "It's a little bit of glitz, a little bit of glamour, and all focused on what is relevant to today's issues."Jackson, who helped develop the program and created the "Dare to be a Champion" motto, describes the event as a traveling "edutainment" field trip that promotes healthy, drug-free lifestyles for students. He said he never expected the show to have grown as quickly as it has."It has grown annually and keeps getting bigger," he said. Much of the show's success is credited to the participation by well-known athletes. At least two athletes voluntarily attend each of the 18 cities visited annually to share their experiences and tips for meeting goals."We all do this for free," said Jackson, who participates in five to seven shows each year. "As the president of the council, I try to pick the small, rural towns where kids wouldn't regularly get to see people who they see as role models and try to emulate on the field."Bahr, who has played professional soccer and football for over 20 years, said the show is the best vehicle he's seen to promote positive lifestyles to youth. The show is especially remarkable because it brings together thousands of youth at one time.

Since the first tour in 1995, the roadshow has reached about 1.2 million youth. Probably the best feature of the show is the follow-up each participant receives through an interactive Web site, classroom curriculum, and newsletter that is mailed twice annually, said Bahr."We're not out there telling them they need to be athletes or win Heisman trophies or gold medals. We want to tell them it's okay to try their hardest in school," he said. "You don't have to be the best. The object is to participate."