Adrienne Smith is a modern day renaissance woman.
The wide receiver for the Boston Renegades is a serial entrepreneur, educator, scholar, actor and creator of Blitz Champz, a football-themed card game for ages 7 and up.
Smith is a graduate of Columbia Business School and in addition to Blitz Champz, is the CEO and co-founder of Harlem Hip-Hop Tours, and CEO and founder of Gridiron Queendom.
Her work with Harlem Hip-Hop Tours takes her into local classrooms where she sees and experiences first-hand, the challenges students face with math readiness.
A math workshop that encompasses Blitz Champz is one of Smith’s most frequently requested workshops.
Her experience as an educator forged her decision to create a math-based game.
Blitz Champz is designed to test players’ football knowledge, critical thinking and math skills.
“I really want kids to enjoy the beauty of simple play, imagination and mental math. These skills are being underdeveloped by an oversaturation of technology usage.” – Adrienne Smith, Blitz Champz
The game features 100 vibrantly illustrated playing cards characterizing a diverse lineup of male and female players.
Smith hopes to get the card game, a 2017 National Parenting Product Awards (NAAPA) winner, into the hands of at least 10,000 school children this winter.
To reach her goal, Smith is partnering with local philanthropists and non-profits to help fund and distribute the game to schools.
Smith hopes kids and their families will use Blitz Champz to create unplugged play time.
The Blitz Champz cards are designed to mirror real field play with offensive and defensive moves, passes, runs, completions and even the unpredictable blitz.
Players must strategize their gameplay based on the cards they’ve drawn and use mental math to advance their play or send their opponents back to defeat.
The game takes only two minutes to learn and can be played by 2-6 people in 15-30 minutes.
Gridiron Queendom is Smith’s advocacy organization to encourage female participation in football.
Smith has been playing at the elite women’s tackle football level with her Boston-based team for seven years and has won two world championships as a member of the U.S. Women’s National Tackle Football Team.
Getting Blitz Champz into schools and homes is one way Smith hopes to encourage girls to pursue their athletic interests.
Blitz Champz retails for $19.99and can be ordered on Amazon.
