Goodwill Games

FIGURE SKATER SARAH HUGHES JOINS THE NEW YORK LOTTERY AND
THE GOODWILL GAMES TO HONOR LOCAL STUDENTS IN
STATE-WIDE WINTER ACHIEVERS ESSAY CONTEST

New York, NY, January 22, 2001 - Figure Skater and Great Neck, NY resident Sarah Hughes, along with New York Lottery Director Margaret R. DeFrancisco and Goodwill Games Marketing Manager Bobby Mallett, honored five New York City winners of the 2001 Winter Achievers essay contest today at Chelsea Piers. Hughes talks to the Winter Achievers about how sports has impacted her life

Hughes, a 2001 Goodwill Games hopeful, won a silver medal at the US Figure Skating Championships on January 20 in Boston, MA. Hughes, 15, spoke to winners Kenneth Elmes (Hudson Valley), Maria Wojakowski (Brooklyn), Andrea Chronis (NYC), Lauren Titone and Andrew DiChiara (Long Island) about how sports has positively impacted her life.

The Winter Achievers program was launched in 1999 to coincide with the Inaugural Goodwill Games, held Feb. 17-20, in Lake Placid, New York. The program was created through a partnership between the Goodwill Games and the Lottery, in conjunction with the Empire State Games and the Olympic Regional Development Authority. The Winter Goodwill Games were the first large-scale international athletic competition of the new millennium. The Games helped solidify Lake Placid's reputation as a world-class, Olympic-caliber sports venue. Goodwill Games hopeful Sarah Hughes skates with the 2001 Winter Achievers winners from NYC

"The Winter Achiever's essay contest is a wonderful, unique initiative that requires each student to use lessons learned in the classroom to help explain to others the value of his or her experiences on the sports field," said DeFrancisco.

The number of essays submitted for this year's contest increased substantially. The New York Lottery received close to 4,000 entries for the 2001 Winter Achievers program, nearly twice the number of essays in 2000.

McNerney says the program, which reaches out to children in public and parochial schools statewide, is at the core of the message of the Goodwill Games.

"The Goodwill Games value the life lessons that our children learn through sport participation. The goal of our world-class competition is to use the power of sports as a means to bringing out the individual spirit in all our kids," said McNerney.

An inter-agency review committee consisting of representatives from the Goodwill Games, Lottery, Parks, the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and the Empire State Games reviewed all entries and selected this year's winning essays. The winners receive a personal laptop computer and printer, a trip to the Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid, NY where they will be recognized during opening ceremonies scheduled for Feb. 23, 2001, as well as a commemorative sweat suit, plaque and medal for his or her efforts. Each Winter Achiever's school receives a computer package from the New York Lottery. NY State Lottery Director Margaret DeFrancisco, Sarah Hughes and Goodwill Games Marketing Manager Bobby Mallett

The 2001 Winter Achievers' winners and their respective schools are:
click here to view this years winning essays...

Andreas P. Chronis of New York, NY / P.S. 79, Whitestone, NY
Andrew J. DiChiara, Jr. of Smithtown, NY / William T. Rogers Middle School, Kings Park, NY
Kenneth B. Elmes, Jr. of Hopewell Junction, NY / Van Wyck Junior High School, Wappingers Falls, NY
Laura C. Hare of Buffalo, NY / St. Amelia School, Tonawanda, NY
Chad D. Morin of Auburn, NY / East Middle School, Auburn, NY
Kristina A. Nolte of Saratoga Springs, NY / Maple Avenue Middle School, Saratoga Springs, NY
Benjamin P. Pomerance of Plattsburgh, NY / Stafford Middle School, Plattsburgh, NY
Anna G. Suozzi of Pittsford, NY / Pittsford Middle School, Pittsford, NY
Lauren M. Titone of Smithtown, NY / Great Hollow Middle School, Nesconset, NY
Maria M. Wojakowski of Brooklyn, NY / St. Anthony-St. Alphonsus, Brooklyn, NY

For more information, contact the Lottery's Press and Community Relations office at 518-388-3415 or email to p&cr@lottery.state.ny.

The Goodwill Games, to be held August 29 - September 9, 2001, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia will feature 14 sports: athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, cycling (track), diving, figure skating, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, trampoline, triathlon, weightlifting and surf lifesaving. The Goodwill Games were founded by Time Warner Inc. Vice Chairman R.E. Turner in 1986 to ensure that the world's best athletes have the opportunity to compete in world class competition. The five previous Goodwill Games have alternated between the United States and Russia; however, future Games will be staged in countries around the world in both winter and summer formats. In addition to the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia, plans are underway for the 2005 Winter Goodwill Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. TNT is the host network for both events. Nine Network Australia will broadcast the 2001 Goodwill Games locally. Goodwill Games, Inc. is a division of Turner Sports, the sports programming and production business unit of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

For information on the upcoming 2001 Goodwill Games or their youth programs please call 404-827-4786 or e-mail to www.goodwillgames.com.

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