Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Vote to Send Me to the Olympics!


A couple weeks ago, I entered a contest, sponsored by Microsoft Office, to send one student blogger to the Olympic Games in Vancouver this February. A few days ago, I received a call from a lady named Ashley. Ashley told me that I had been selected as one of FIVE semi-finalists for the Vancouver trip. How cool is THAT?

The semi-finalists are listed at www.officewintergames.com for fans to vote on. The top three vote-getters will be named Finalists, with one entry receiving an all-expenses paid trip to Vancouver to blog about the Olympics for a week.

The following is the essay I sent in to the contest.


I could write this essay about me. I could write this essay about the fact that I like sports. A lot. But instead, I’m going to write this essay about why I like sports.

A unique characteristic accompanies sports. Sports have the inherent ability to inspire people. From the 1980 United States Olympic hockey miracle to the Central Washington University softball heroes to Jason McElwain, wonderful sports moments make athletes and fans believe they can do what they otherwise wouldn’t even think to attempt.

Millions of people watch sporting events every day. Why? Sports are uplifting. Sports are genuine. In a world where seemingly every channel is showing another homicide, arson or car crash, sports give the average person hope.

Sports give me hope.

Sports give me hope in the goodness of mankind and the ability for people to inspire others to be better than they currently are.

The Olympics are the best illustration of the pure goodness of humanity. The Olympics are the quintessential example of sports because they bring humanity together. Sure, it’s only for a few weeks every few years, but the Olympics give the entire world a chance to believe in the same cause.

The Olympics give the world a chance to be united and be inspired together.

And that is magical.

1 comment:

  1. grant this is amazing!!! i'm sending this to all my fb friends! i want you to go so bad! how cool would that be?!?! congrats on making it to the top 5! im so happy for you! :)

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