THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 4, 1996 TAG: 9607030236
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 79 lines
ABOUT 75 WORDS. That's all it took to win an all expense paid trip to the Olympics.
The winning words covered the subject, ``How America's Olympians Have Encouraged Me To Excel At Wellness.''
The essay competition was sponsored by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, the official health plan sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team.
Wellness is one of their favorite subjects.
It was a great subject for 10-year-old Carolina Parker of Lake Crescent, Franklin. The Southampton Academy fourth-grader was one of 4,000 entrants in a nationwide competition that netted four winners.
The judges liked her entry. Carolina likes her prize - a trip for four to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
The $12,000 value includes round-trip air fare, hotel accommodations for four days and three nights and meals.
Carolina will take her mom and dad, Anne and Westbrook Parker, and has even decided to take her 14-year-old brother, Brook.
The winners are given their choice of attending four Olympic events. Carolina has put in for soccer, gymnastics, high diving, and track and field - an impressive quartet.
The straight-A student is heavily into sports.
``I swim,'' she said, ``and I play tennis, basketball, softball and soccer.''
A soccer star was one of the judges.
Cobi Jones, a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy team, checked the entries, along with sprinter Evelyn Ashford, a four-time gold medalist, and Rebecca Twigg, a silver and bronze medal cyclist.
Other judges represented the staff of TIME For Kids, a children's version of the news magazine which printed the winning essays.
Carolina's favorite judge was Jones whom she describes as ``a super nice guy.''
He, in turn, tells what impressed him most about her essay: ``It told how she was affected by the Olympics, and of her hopes to be a professional athlete.''
The pair formed a mutual admiration society and were filmed kicking a soccer ball around Central Park in New York City.
The video will be sent to television stations in home areas of the winners, and will be seen by Blue Cross and Blue Shield employees at meetings.
Carolina and her parents went to New York three days in May for a CNN interview.
They were told on a Friday to be there the following Monday, a quickie notice that eliminated participation by the West Coast winners.
Carolina, being warm as well as winning, asked if she could mention the other three winners during her CNN interview.
One of them, Jill Ansello, a 10-year-old from Plymouth, Mass., made it to the city, but not to the studio.
``She's my pen pal now,'' said Carolina, a laid back youngster who seems to be taking her win in stride.
The rest of her family is quite excited by the pending trip to Atlanta.
``My teacher, Kay Johnson, is very excited,'' Carolina said.
Here is the excitement-causing essay, a good one with a snappy ending:
America's Olympians have inspired me to have a healthy body and eat the proper foods.
``They have encouraged me to exercise regularly, using the proper gear.
``You need a positive attitude in order to win.
``They have tried so hard to have a fit body, a strong heart, and a concentrated mind that it makes me feel if they can do it, then I can do it.
``Thank you for inspiring me to think about this. Now, I'm going into action!''
If you're thinking about joining Carolina at the Olympics, check this from a Blue Cross and Blue Shield publication:
``The Olympic experience is physically taxing. Plan on crowds, heat, humidity, late nights, early mornings and walking.
``Expect daytime highs between the mid-80s and low 90s and overnight low temperatures in the low 70s. Rain and thunderstorms are common in Atlanta in the summer.
``Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta will be jammed with record numbers of travelers.''
Now - what channel is carrying the Olympics? ILLUSTRATION: Photo by FRANK ROBERTS
Carolina Parker hopes to see soccer competition at the Olympics. by CNB