Get Inspired, Get Active and Get Voting!
| 2 min read
Over the past several weeks, kids from across Michigan have entered the 2014 #MIKidsCan contest by sharing their favorite ways to get moving and be active. There were a record number of entries this year, showing just how many Michigan kids are getting healthy, having fun and inspiring their peers.
One of the most popular ways Michigan kids stay active is by playing sports. Fourteen-year-old Cierra loves to play basketball and has aspirations of one day playing in the WNBA while 13-year-old DaMareon is a freshman at Renaissance High School in Detroit and plays on the varsity football team. And Gabriela, a 7 year old from Southgate, likes competitive swimming and has earned blue ribbons in breaststroke.
Organized sports aren’t the only way these champions are getting fit. Two 11 year olds, Alex and Maximus from St. John’s Public Schools, use a computer and motion capture technology to make an interactive game that challenges their physical education class. Then there’s Owen, a 16 year old in the Upper Peninsula who was born with Spina Bifida. He’s had 43 surgeries and is wheelchair bound, but still finds ways to challenge himself physically during weightlifting class by pulling a tire. His mother says: “If Owen can stay active, so can every other kid!”
The judges had their work cut out for them, but they’ve managed to narrow the field down to the top three videos and the top three essays. Congratulations to the following finalists:
Videos:
- Cass City Elementary, Cass City
- Brooklyn & Jackson Sage, Southgate
- Makayla Pawlowsi, Troy
Essays:
- Zach Edmounds, Big Rapids
- Austin West, Oxford
- Zharia Akeem, Detroit
Now we need your help! Winners will be selected in both categories to receive one of our many great prizes, including a meet-and-greet with Lions’ QB Matthew Stafford and tickets to the Thanksgiving Day football game for a family of four. Vote for your favorite in each category here once a day until November 14th. Spread the word, cast your vote and help us select this year’s winners!
Photo credit: Brian J. McDermott
