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Young Reporter's
Story Ideas
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Get into the spirit of the Games this summer. Athletes from around the world vie in Beijing, China, starting Aug. 8. Don’t just keep tabs on their triumphs. Get together with your friends and host your own Olympic competition! You, too, can be faster, higher and stonger! Here are some ideas for events you can do yourself, or with the help or supervision of an adult. Let the Games begin!
Athletes are Outstanding in their (Track &) Field
When you watch the Games, keep an eye out for Arizona’s star athletes! Many learned to run faster, jump higher and became stronger competitors when they trained in our state or competed for Arizona State University, the University of Arizona or Northern Arizona University.
One track and field standout is Yuma native Jacquelyn Johnson, who graduated from ASU this year. As a Sun Devil, Johnson won the heptathlon at the NCAA Championships four times! Now she is ready to represent the United States at the Summer Olympics.
Like the triathlon and decathlon, the heptathlon tests an athlete’s mettle in multiple activities. Heptathlon athletes compete in 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump, javelin and the 200- and 800-meter races. They are awarded points based on their times and distances.
Your turn: Compete in these events individually, or keep track of the results in multiple events to see who is the best all-around athlete.
Use a frisbee for the discus throw. Each contestant gets three throws with the best distance winning.
Find a track at a school or park near you. If there’s not one handy, any outdoor place can work for a running race—just pick a starting point and finish line. Assign someone the job of starter— the person who utters those famous words, “Ready, set, go!” The starter also needs to watch for false starts—that’s when someone jumps up or starts running too early.
Set up a hurdle race using shoe boxes or egg cartons out of the recycle bin. You can get creative about what you use for hurdles, just choose something that won’t hurt you if you hit your foot or leg by accident.
While Olympians run fast and fly far in the long jump and triple jump, most kids are familiar with the broad jump. Jump from a standing position and be sure to swing your arms for extra momentum.
Gymnasts Take the Floor
Twin tumblers Paul and Morgan Hamm will lead the men’s gymnastics team, and Shawn Johnson is one of six women representing the United States. Gymnasts show their strength, skill and agility on different apparatus. There are the rings, high bar, horse and parallel bars for the men, while the women walk the balance beam and spin around the uneven bars. Both men and women fly through the air off the vault and show their stuff in the floor exercise.
Your Turn: Make up your own floor routine, with or without music. Find a space with a lot of room—don’t hurt yourself or the furniture! Make sure your routine shows your strength, balance and tumbling skills. Include some jumps, like some running leaps or a big jump from a standing position. Display your balance by standing on one leg. Your tumbling run can be one or more somersaults or cartwheels.
Dream Team Seeks to Recapture Gold
NBA stars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James will lead the Dream Team in Beijing. Team USA is historically the most successful basketball team in international play, but it has not dominated in recent years as it once did. After getting the bronze in Athens in 2004, Bryant, James and company hope to return the Dream Team to its gold medal-winning ways.
The women’s basketball team includes ASU grad Cappie Pondexter, who now plays for the Phoenix Mercury. Pondexter will be joined by Mercury teammate Diana Taurasi, who already has a gold medal from the 2004 Games. The women have won gold in the last three Olympics. Can they make it four in a row?
Your Turn: Instead of H-O-R-S-E, play G-O-L-D.
Batter Up, One Last Time?
This may be the last time you see baseball and softball as Olympic events. The International Olympic Committee voted to drop these sports from the London 2012 Summer Games. However, both remain on the list of Olympic sports, meaning they could be voted back in the future.
On the diamond, ASU pitcher Mike Leake will join USA Baseball as the team goes for the gold in Beijing. The U.S. Olympic softball team is loaded with former Arizona Wildcats. Lovieanne Jung, Caitlin Lowe and pitcher Jennie Finch hope to defend team USA’s gold medal status. Tucsonan Tairia Flowers, who played at UCLA, will also help Team USA go for a fourth gold medal.
Your Turn: Even if you can’t field a team, you can brush up on the basics and have fun, too! Get out the stopwatch and see who has the fastest first-base run, or head to the batting cage and see who can get the most hits.
Swimmers Suit Up with New High-Tech Gear
Around the Olympic pool, will the spotlight fall on returning medal winners Michael Phelps, Klete Keller and Natalie Coughlin? Can a newcomer like Matt Grevers make a big splash? Or will the buzz be about the high-tech suits? New swimsuits by Speedo, TYR and Nike are creating a stir. This second-skin swimwear is very expensive and very tight. The suit reportedly changes the dynamics of the body by compressing certain muscles. But it can take 20 minutes to get into one—if it doesn’t tear—and the suit can even cause bruising! So, what’s all the fuss? Some think the suits do make swimmers faster. Roughly 90 percent of world records broken this year have been shattered by swimmers in Speedo’s LZR Racer suit.
Your Turn: Leave the butterfly stroke and the dolphin kick to the Olympians. Instead turn to another critter for inspiration—the canine! Who among your friends or family is the world-class doggy-paddle champ? It’s time to find out! You can also test your swimming speed with a traditional freestyle race or a blazing back-stroke. For these events, adult supervision is MANDATORY! But you can wear any old swimsuit.
Tips and Tools—Raid the Recycle Bin!
Remember, you may need an adult to supervise some events and act as judge,
referee or lifeguard. Make sure you find the right venue, or place, for your competition. If you go to a park or schoolyard, hold your competition in the early morning or late afternoon and drink lots of water! Warm up before you compete—walk, jog, do some jumping jacks and stretch out so that you can compete at your highest level.
Here are some items you may want to have for your own Olympics:
• stopwatch
• tape measure
• pencil and paper to record times/distances
• pylons to mark start/finish lines
Consider using items from around the house. Use empty cartons or boxes as hurdles. Empty toilet paper rolls can be relay batons. Fill gallon milk containers with water and use them as weights. Kids should not try to lift the heaviest weight, but should see who can do the most repetitions—starting with your arms at your sides, can you lift those containers to chest level 10 times? Fifteen times?
Decorate jar lids and make them your medals.
The five mascots for the Beijing Olympics represent many things. They represent the five Olympic rings. They reflect the natural elements and spotlight four popular animals in China. They act as emissaries for the Games and for their country, and they even carry a secret message! “Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni” means “Welcome to Beijing!”
These Fuwa, or good luck dolls, are meant to bring blessings and the message of the Olympics to children all over the world. They are kids, too—five close friends who embody the ideals of the Games. Here is the
4-1-1 on these busy characters:
Beibei represents the blue Olympic ring. This little fish loves the water, and she can’t wait for the swimming and diving events to begin! She symbolizes prosperity.
Jingjing represents the black Olympic ring. Like the panda, he is strong and brings joy to everyone who sees him. His lotus headdress reflects the forests of China. He symbolizes happiness.
Huanhuan burns with an inner fire, like the Olympic Flame. Proudly representing the red Olympic ring, he symbolizes passion—passion for sports. He loves ball games!
Yingying sports the sunny hue of the yellow Olympic ring. Graceful and agile like the Tibetan antelope, he loves track and field events. He symbolizes health.
Nini represents the green Olympic ring. This little swallow is light as air and loves gymnastics. She brings good luck to those she visits.
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