Cracker Jack® Highlights Young Women Who are Changing the Face of the Game With Cracker Jill® Packaging
In order to highlight female athletes, Cracker Jack® will fund the sporting ambitions of nine “I Am Cracker Jill® Award” winners, with the grand prize winner being featured on brand packaging in 2024.
By Angela Redding | Los Angeles, CA. | Hollywood Beat magazine | August 10, 2023 Photos: Frito-Lay North America; PepsiCo
Cracker Jack® has awarded the I Am Cracker Jill® Award to nine young ladies. These winners will each get $5,000 from Cracker Jack to assist their sporting aspirations as they work to change the face of the game one goal, one run, or one point at a time.
Lindsey Zurbrugg, who won the top prize, was also chosen to serve as a role model for aspiring female athletes across the nation by being the first athlete to sign on with Cracker Jill and appear on limited-edition Cracker Jill packaging.
“We selected Lindsey to become the first real athlete in the brand’s history to join the Cracker Jack roster so that girls nationwide will be inspired to keep playing and keep achieving when they see Lindsey’s story on our bags in stores and in stadiums.”
Leslie Vesper, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America
Before discovering wheelchair basketball, Lindsey was unsure of what her career in sports would involve after becoming disabled at the age of 13. Ten years later, she is currently a member of the USA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball National Team and has since represented her nation on the biggest sports platform in the world.
“It is truly an honor to have been selected for the I Am Cracker Jill Award and the funding will go a long way in helping me continue to compete and hopefully inspire another young girl out there to never give up on her sports dreams,” said Zurbrugg. “After discovering my own passion for wheelchair basketball, my goal has been to bring attention to this sport. Being the first athlete featured on the packaging of such an iconic snack brand will be a tremendous help in accomplishing that.”
Available in Stores and Stadiums Nationwide Next Year
Lindsey Zurbrugg on limited-edition Cracker Jill packaging
Artist and model Monica Ahanonu created a likeness of Zurbrugg for the package. The original Cracker Jill figures were designed by Ahanonu, a pioneering Black artist and master in color theory, for their 2022 debut. Next year, retailers and stadiums across the country will sell the limited-edition packaging with Zurbrugg on it.
Through a collaboration between Cracker Jack, the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), and program ambassadors including international soccer star Mallory Swanson, professional swimmer and 29-time Paralympic medalist Jessica Long, as well as WSF Athlete Ambassador and two-time Paralympic medalist Sophia Herzog-Gibb, recipients were chosen from among hundreds of inspiring female applicants who applied to the contest.
Jessica Long Comments
“It was so important for me as a young girl to see others who looked like me competing in sports because it helped me believe that I can follow my dreams, which is why I’m so proud to have worked with Cracker Jack on this program.”
Reaching More Girls
Swanson will introduce the winners as the next generation of athletes changing the game during a new Cracker Jack: 30 commercial that will air on FOX throughout the duration of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023TM in order to reach more girls with the inspiring stories of its I Am Cracker Jill Award recipients.
The full list of I Am Cracker Jill Award finalists, chosen for their perseverance on and off the field, consists of:
Bella Rasmussen, Football: From Laguna Beach, Calif., Bella has spent the past four years under the Friday night lights playing football in the hopes of inspiring other young women and girls to pursue their interest in football.
Corinne Thompson, Modern Pentathlon: From Gainesville, Ga., Corinne learned what it takes to compete with the best in the world after having competed at the international level and continues to train and work hard to prove to herself that she belongs with the best.
Emma Stertz, Biathlon: Emma credits her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minn. for helping her discover her passion for biathlon, which in turn has helped teach her how to deal with setbacks, especially in overcoming her diagnosis of Scheuermann’s malformation of the spine.
Jaleen Roberts, Paralympic Track & Field: From Chula Vista, Calif., Jaleen is a two-time Paralympic medalist and uses her platform to inspire other young, marginalized athletes and advocate for ending the stigma around mental health.
Lindsey Zurbrugg, Wheelchair Basketball: From Hillsboro, Ore., Lindsey understands the important life lessons people can learn from sports like the importance of accountability, work ethic and timeliness.
Olivia Ohlson-Ellis, Golf and Softball: From Evanston, Ill, Olivia has played a wide range of sports. Sports have taught her important leadership and life skills and she hopes through her sports service work she will help keep young girls participating in golf and softball.
• Sally Cohen, Surfing: Having grown up in Haleiwa, Hawaii, surfing is way more than a sport to Sally, it’s a way of life. As a professional surfer, her sports dream is to inspire other female competitors to be the best versions of themselves.
• Sohana Raisa, Weightlifting: From Sanford, Fla., Sohana is the only Bangladeshi female and Hijabi high school competitive lifter in the state and has used her passion for sports to overcome every obstacle and stereotype in her way to achieve her dreams.
• Tahirah Abdul-Qadir, Martial Arts: Born into a family of world- champion martial artists in Syracuse, N.Y., punching and kicking was always in Tahirah’s future, and she has a laundry list of accolades in the sport to show for it.
The Importance of Powerful Images
“We are proud to continue our partnership on this powerful Cracker Jill initiative. We at the Women’s Sports Foundation know the importance of powerful images to celebrate and inspire young girls and women to reach their potential in sport and in life. It is our hope that these Cracker Jill athletes encourage and empower more girls and young women across the nation to keep playing.”
Danette Leighton, WSF CEO
Cracker Jack®, to date, has given $400,000 to the national non-profit WSF as part of its commitment to supporting women’s sports through the Cracker Jill initiative. This money will be used to increase access and opportunities for girls and women in sports so they can participate in competitions and hold leadership positions without facing any obstacles.
Nine young women have received the I Am Cracker Jill® Award from Cracker Jack®. Each of the winners will get $5,000 from Cracker Jack to help them pursue their sporting dreams as they seek to improve the game one goal, run, or point at a time.
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