I’m Going to the Circus for a Story!
by Brenna Sportsman,
Mesa Verde Elementary
I went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus on June 21 at Tucson Convention Center in order to write my first story as a Young Reporter.
The first person I interviewed was Bella Duncan, 3½ years old. It was her first time going to the circus. Her favorite animals were elephants and giraffes. There were lots of animals at the circus but no giraffes. There were elephants, lions, tigers, dogs that do tricks, cats, horses, ponies, a llama and colorful dragons.
The second person I interviewed was Arielle. She was 5. Her favorite part of the show was the ladies in the balls. The ladies in the balls were dancing. Her favorite animals were the elephants.
The last person I interviewed was a just 1 and named Angelina. It also was her first time at the circus. Her favorite animal were the lions. She liked everything about the circus.
My brother J.D. had a lot of fun. He is 5 and he also liked everything about the circus. The circus really does have everything, like crazy clowns, lots of fun music and bright lights. There were acrobats and people on the trapeze. There were motorcyclists in a ball. There were dragons made of lights in purple, gold and blue. At the end of the circus, a big mechanical dragon circled the arena with parading performers and animals.
My favorite part was the animals, especially the elephants. The elephants did so many cool tricks. They stood on each other, balanced on their heads and carried women in beautiful costumes. It was so exciting to get in for free because I used my Young Reporters official press pass. I can’t wait for the circus to come around next year.
Medal Winner
Visits Team
by Reporter
Sophia Alexander,
Ventana Vista
Elementary
Guess who came to the Ventana Canyon Swim Team practice on June 11? Olympic champion Ed Moses! Yes, the gold medal winner from the 2000 Olympics and world record holder! He visited the swim team to tell us a little about himself and encourage us to follow our dreams.
Ever since he was 6, he wanted to be the best swimmer. Every day he went and had a one-hour swim practice, a kid’s average. He kept practicing—his mind set on the gold medal. In high school he also started playing golf. When he was 19, he got qualified to go to the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He swam breaststroke in a medley relay (that is a relay race where four athletes each swim a different stroke) and swim team USA won the gold medal. Then he also raced in a 100 m breaststroke setting a new world record!
Moses explained to the young swimmers that he did not start off as the best. He got disqualified in many races as a kid. “In one race my swim trunks came down and I had to pull them up…I was disqualified,” he told the Ventana Canyon Swim team. But he kept practicing and practicing. There’s a lot of training that goes in to make a great athlete! Moses is training 4 to 7 hours each day in the pool and in the gym, building his strength. “When I was told that I was picked for the Olympics I felt amazing, a huge wave of accomplishment” he says. The way to qualify for the Olympics is to win a series of races where the best swimmers are narrowed down. Then the top two of all the best swimmers go to the Olympics.
Moses shared with us what the Olympics Village is like! There are rows and rows of homes from all the countries that are participating in the Olympics with a huge park in the middle for athletes to practice and exercise. “My favorite thing about the village,” Moses said “is the 24/7 buffet serving food from all over the world!”
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to stand on the Olympic podium as the crowd cheers for you? I always thought that it would be very cool. For Moses it was, too, but because he had been so determined to win that race he almost thought it was almost certain for him to win. It took him three or four days to really realize that he won!
It was very exciting for me to meet this Olympian, and I learned a lot. This was an amazing privilege for the swim team! Unfortunately, Moses did not qualify to go to the London Olympic Games this summer.
NCAA Champs
by Reporter Anna Raygoza,
Pusch Ridge Christian
Academy
On June 25 the Arizona Wildcats won the NCAA baseball World Series. The final game was against South Carolina, and the Wildcats beat them 4-1.
Trent Gilbert drove in three of the Wildcats’ four runs. Mat Troupe was the game’s winning pitcher. Until now, 1986 was the last time the Wildcats won a national championship.
South Carolina was not too glad that they did not win but were very happy that they were able to get this far. Although South Carolina did not win this championship, they have won seven national championships and were the defending champions.
A crowd of 23,872 people watched the NCAA Championship. If I were a player, I would be a little frightened of how many people were there. But they were all happy that they played.
June 25 was a very exciting day for the Wildcats, who were very glad to win, but still congratulated the other team for getting this far. Coach Andy Lopez is very proud of the boys. They will strive to win the next championship.
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