St. Mary's athlete chosen to be sports ambassador
At a time when children seem more interested in playing virtual sports on game consoles like the Nintendo Wii or Microsoft's Xbox 360, it's refreshing to hear about students playing with real equipment, on real fields and courts, sweating real sweat.
It's even more encouraging to learn how students are using their athletic abilities to broaden their horizons and travel the world.
West Dundee seventh-grader Natalie Himmel, a student at St Mary's School in Elgin, was recently selected to participate as a member of the People to People Sports Ambassador Program to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji this summer.
The program, which was established in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, promotes international understanding while building leadership skills among America's youth.
Over 18 days, Natalie -- who enjoys running, basketball and volleyball -- will join a group of student-athletes from across the country who will meet Olympic athletes, learn new sports, sightsee in Sydney (my home town), and learn the culture of Fiji.
But the trip is not cheap. The tuition is $7,000 and includes all transportation, accommodations, meals and educational activities.
So far, Natalie has raised about $2,625 of her $4,500 fundraising goal, according to Natalie's program Web site.
"Personally, I am looking forward to broadening my perspectives of the world and gaining a better understanding of Fiji, Australia and New Zealand's culture," said Natalie, who said she wants to become a writer.
If you would like to help Natalie reach her goal before the May 1 deadline, visit www.freewebs.com/himmel and click on the links to donate.
Support for Olympic bid: In other sporting news, the village of West Dundee on Monday passed a resolution showing its support of Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games.
I expect other local communities will follow West Dundee's lead, with the announcement of the winning city expected in less than 18 months.
The list of possible host cities includes Baku, Azerbaijan; Doha, Qatar; Prague, Czech Republic; Madrid, Rio de Janerio and Tokyo.
The four finalists are expected to be announced June 4, with the International Olympic Committee announcing a winner in October 2009.
In the event that Chicago's bid is successful in bringing the biggest sporting event back to U.S. soil, the entire state should benefit.
When Sydney won the 2000 Olympic Games, state-of-the-art sporting facilities were built across the region, from a new tennis complex to rowing venues.
With towns all over the Fox valley easily accessible to Interstate 90, it would make sense to include the area in the Olympic plans, so I would implore local governments to show their support for the Olympic bid.
• Larissa Chinwah covers Carpentersville, East Dundee and West Dundee. To reach her, call (847) 931-5722 or e-mail lchinwah@dailyherald.com.