GREEN BAY (NBC26) — From the start to the finish, over 2,000 neighbors climbed around 110 stories on Saturday for the 14th Annual Memorial Stair Climb at Lambeau Field, in the days marking 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks.
"I feel good, surprisingly," Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment editor-in-chief Chris McLoone said when interviewed minutes after completing the climb. "The steps here are a little tricky."
Some neighbors went through the journey in uniform. But not first responders' uniforms, but football uniforms.
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"Being a little sore, but having to push through the adversity was pretty cool," West De Pere senior linebacker Braylon Stegall said.
Just one night after defeating Ashwaubenon 38-0, seven West De Pere football players were back on their feet.
"My aunt's a volunteer firefighter in Kimberly," Stegall said. "She brought up the idea at one of our family events. We all kind of got together as a leadership council and we agreed to come out here and do it."
For McLoone, the climb carries personal meaning.
"My kids (were born in) '03, '05 (and) '08," he said. "So, they weren't born yet. So, part of what this means to me is setting an example on how not to forget."
Something the West De Pere Phantoms are keeping up.
"I think it means a lot to see what they've done for us," senior linebacker Jake Rodewald said. "To see what we're doing this for, it's a really cool experience."
Saturday was the first climb for all of the players, but they said that it will not be the last.
