Winning Essay in the 2008 McDonald's Champion Kid (Philippines) Essay Writing Contest

This is Bea's winning essay that made it to the top 20 finalists in the 2008 McDonald's Champion Kid (Philippines) Essay Writing Contest. Before her essay was finalized, she had to learn what every writer had to learn after gathering all her ideas. Edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite, until her essay became compact and still able to convey her message in the available space given.

I have won nine medals this year! At the Western Visayas Junior Convention of Schools of Tomorrow in Iloilo City, I entered in nine events: volleyball, essaywriting, short-story writing, cross-stitch, colored pencils, quarted ({all}first place); large ensemble, one-act play (second placE); and poetry writing (third place). I won the most number of medals!

The most precious of all is the volleyball medal! It was my first time to join the Athletics. I wasn't the best player, but I did my best. We practiced everyday, except Sundays. Even when it rained we did not quit!

I felt the teamwork and hard work in my heart. Maybe God also felt the teamwork and hard work, too, because He blessed us with no fever, no cough, nor runny nose!

So, I encourage kids to work hard, persevere, and pray so they can finish the race and win, maybe even more than nine medals! That's a McDonald's Champion Kid.

See related blog by clicking here for a closer look at how Bea and I proved to ourselves that, indeed, we are a great team.

Filipino Billiard Greats

Filipino Billiard Greats of the world's formidable Team Philippines started out in billiard dens such as this. There are just about billiard holes in every corner in the Philippines that no wonder there are several players who rose to become Filipino Billiard Greats.

Like boxing and bowling where Filipinos have earned several world titles, billiard is one game the Filipino can excel. It doesn't need the height and build other sports require. Skill and cunning is what make Filipino Billiard Greats in this game.

Efren "Bata" Reyes, Dennis "Surigao" Orcollo, Ronato "The Volcano" Alcano, Rodolfo "Boy Samson" Luat, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, and Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan are six fearsome names that have made it to become six of the awesome Filipino Billiard Greats.

McDonald's Champion Kid

McDonald's Champion Kid had been a child's dream come true for my daughter Bea. Well, almost.



Her essay about the 9 medals she won in her intra-school competition was chosen to be one of the 20 McDonald's Champion Kid finalists from all over the country.

Five other children were also selected via raffle. What's amazing about it was that two children from La Salle Integrated School, Bacolod were chosen and they happened to be brother and sister. So that Bacolod City had the most entries in all the 25 finalists for McDonald's Champion Kid, including Bea and another essay winner who also attends school in La Salle.



The children together with one parent each were all accommodated for free at a hotel along Roxas Boulevard. Five winners were to be chosen and proclaimed as the McDonald's Champion Kids that will represent the Philippines at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

The competition was held at Le Pavilion also along Roxas Boulevard. It had two parts, the kiddie olympics wherein the children aged 7-12 years old assisted by their respective parents competed against each other for the bronze, silver and gold medals.



While the three major games were being held, the fiercer competition was held inside another room which was turned into a talk show type studio where the panel of judges -- equestrienne Mikey Cojuangco, swimmer Akiko Thompson, and the McDonald's Vice President -- looked more like talk show hosts interviewing all the 25 children one by one.



The games required not only agile children but also physically adept parents, so that in the giant obstacle race, Bea and I won the gold medal plus PhP5,000 worth of McDonald's gift certificates. In the bouncy ball contest where we had to wear afro wigs in black or clowny multi-colors and where I accidentally stumbled onto the carpeted flooring and scratched my left knee, we still won the gold medal. In the extremely difficult shoot-that-ball contest where we were tied to a bungee cord so that we could not approach the basket too near and the air bag floor was too bouncy for balance, we also tied for the gold with another parent-child pair. However, because we already won two gold medals, the silver medal was given to Bea but it sill represented first place.



As each gold represented PhP5,000 worth of gift certificates, imagine how much all in all did we win in terms of gift certificates. Bea's birthday was also near so that solved her birthday party treat.



Everybody was quite sure that Bea would be among the five McDonald's Champion Kid that will be sent to Beijing, China. Unfortunately, her name wasn't among those announced.



But still, two of the chosen McDonald's Champion Kids were from Bacolod City, and the judges noted how children from the provinces fared better in their English communication skills compared to Manila-based kids.



Bea made precious friendships with a girl from Manila who used to be a TV commercial model for Vaseline shampoo, and with a girl from Davao, a cancer survivor, who made it to the five McDonald's Champion Kids. Come to think of it, they represent the three major island groups of the Philippines -- Luzon (Manila), Visayas (Bacolod), and Mindanao (Davao).



Needless to say, Bea and I proved that we are a great team. Together, we won the three golds. And no matter what, Bea is my all-time McDonald's Champion Kid.