Washington Redskins fan Phillip Golden remembers high-fiving former wide receiver Gary Clark at the D.C. parade after the Redskins won the Super Bowl.
Golden, 51, has been a fan of the team since he was 10 years old, and has met eight or more Redskins players over the years. Decked out in his Redskins Jersey, jersey, hat and socks, he came to the NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo Sunday to meet Clark and former wide receiver Santana Moss. He took a photo with the two, and asked Clark and Moss to sign his jersey.
“Gary said it was an honor to sign it,” Golden said. “Which made me almost faint like a little girl.”
Sunday marked the final day of the 2017 Expo. News4’s Doreen Gentzler kicked things off in the morning at Howard University Hospital’s booth, where she tried an impaired driving simulator to learn about the dangers of drunken driving.
It wasn’t Golden’s first time at the Expo, but it was his favorite one yet.
“Overall, it was a 10,” he said.
Golden came to the Expo to meet Moss and Clark, but he stayed for the wide array health information. In particular, Golden said he utilized resources on diabetes and mental health.
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“I am going to take some information home to my peoples who have anxiety problems, and sit down, and we’re gonna discuss this,” he said.
Erika Oliva, a first-time Expo goer, said she had fun at the Expo and found it “very informative.” Like Golden, she enjoyed the mental health information available at the Changing Minds area. She also got a mental health screening.
Oliva also took advantage of screenings and information at booths on hearing, skin disease and other medical issues.
“I just learned I didn’t have skin cancer,” Oliva said. “Which is really good.”
After learning more about skin health at the Expo, Oliva said she is going to change how she uses sunscreen.
“Apparently after two hours, your moisturizer -- it doesn’t cover you as well as it should,” Oliva said. “So reapplying and probably keeping an extra bottle in my purse.”
For Daniel, a 9-year-old hip-hop dancer, it was the abundance of music that stood out at the Expo. Daniel performed at the Main Stage in the morning with Rythmix, his dance group.
Daniel has been hip-hop dancing for three years, but this was his first time performing at Expo. He explored the event after his show, and his favorite booth was Winter Pavilion, where he got to try a skiing simulator.
“It was kind of windy,” he said. “But it kind of felt like I was skiing, but not too much.”
Dancing was not the only thing on the Main Stage, there were also presentations on health-related issues. In the afternoon, News4’s Doreen Gentzler moderated a panel on sleep.
Part of the discussion compared sleep medication with therapy for treating insomnia. Panelists said while sleep medication can be helpful, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is more effective in the long run.
“Sleeping pills may be the answer to occasional insomnia…” one panelist said. “But when you have a chronic insomnia problem, if all your doctor’s doing is writing off something on the prescription pad and handing it to you, then it’s probably better to go seek professional help.”
Oliva said she would come back to the Expo, because she valued all of the health information.
“It definitely opens up an avenue for folks that maybe don’t have the willingness to go and get the health checkups on a regular basis,” Oliva said. “And at least this provides it to those that maybe have -- don’t have insurance or aren’t willing to do it.”
