New London - If you wanted to distill a sense of pure exhilaration, the world of college athletics wouldn't be a bad place to start.

You might find someone like New London's Trenton Richardson. On a brisk, golden-blue afternoon at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Richardson sprinted onto Cadet Field during the opening kickoff of the football game between the Coast Guard Academy Bears and the Salve Regina Seahawks.

At 10 years old, of course, Richardson is way too young to play for either team. But, as one of four Kick-Off Kids - all part of the second annual "Celebrate New London" partnership between the academy and the city of New London - the Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School fifth-grader got to race onto the field, retrieve the kicking tee, then tear back to the sidelines. It was a job he did with speed, focus, pride - and, yes, exhilaration.

"I feel like I could do anything after that!" Richardson said happily, standing by the Bears' bench - and not remotely winded by his efforts. "I wasn't even really nervous."

"Celebrate New London" offered free tickets to the game to New London public school students and their families, and the Kick-Off Kids were selected for their classwork and positive attitudes. Along with Richardson, the other Kick-Off Kids were Zeraiah Ramos from Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School; Liz-Valerie Velez from Jennings Elementary School; and Zamir Foy from Winthrop Elementary Magnet School.

"I'm very excited," Velez said, shyly clutching the hand of her mother, Limaris Zabaleta. "I've never been to a football game, but I think I like football."

Also participating in game activities were the New London High School Band - they performed at halftime and played the National Anthem before the game - and the New London High School cheerleaders.

"This is a fun opportunity for New London families to experience a college football game and see the Coast Guard Academy - and many of them have never been on the campus," said Julianne Hankel, communications manager for the New London School District, as she handed out tickets. "Last year was a great start - some of the Kick-Off Kids are still talking about it - and it looks like this year is going to be very successful, too."

A thousand seats were made available for Saturday's game. While an exact count of New London folks in attendance wasn't available, Tammy Daugherty, director of New London's Office of Development and Planning, said she was anticipating more than what showed up for last year's game - which drew an impressive 400-plus crowd.

"For one thing, we've got buses running to and from Bennie Dover Jackson and New London High School," she said. "Last year, lack of transportation might have been a problem for some of the people who would have liked to have gone to the game." She said STA Bus Company, which handles transportation for the school district, provided Saturday's buses for free.

Tim Fitzpatrick, athletic director at the academy, said one of the main accomplishments of "Celebrate New London" is that it has nurtured the growing and ongoing relationship between the city and the academy. "The schools have been wonderful and enthusiastic, and it's very obvious to us that we're certainly appreciating each other more as neighbors," he said. "We have high hopes this will be a self-sustaining thing, where we don't just rely on leaders to generate momentum - but something everyone wants to help out with and be a part of."

Noah James III and his wife, Selina James, with their son, Noah James IV, turned out for the game in support of their daughter, Lillian James - a drum major in the Whaler band. The family attended the game last year, too.

"We had a lot of fun and the campus is so nice," Selina James said. "And we became Bears fans. I've been reading about them this year."

Back on the playing field, as Trenton Richardson's mother, Kanika Richardson, snapped pictures of her son after his tee-retrieval, she said, "I'm so proud of him. He's my only boy. He made excellent grades and he was also chosen for his teamwork. I've always been a little bit of a football fan, but I'm much more so now. And we're definitely fans of the Coast Guard."

Standing off to the side, Fitzpatrick smiled. "This what we want and look forward to out of this relationship. The kids get so charged up - and maybe this becomes one of those moments in life that will always stay with you."

r.koster@theday.com

Twitter: @rickkoster