Nova R., age 8, lives in Springfield, Oregon. She loves drawing and she creates many pictures of girls. Her colors of choice are bold and bright. Another activity Nova really likes is “Aerial Silks” which involves aerial acrobatic acts of strength and coordination.
The 2024 Summer Olympics will take place in Paris, France later in July. Thousands of international level athletes from many countries will participate in this once every four year, global sports event.
Right now, the 2024 Olympic U.S. Track & Field Team trials are being held right here in Eugene, Oregon, where Skipping Stones is based. Selections for the U.S. Gymnastics Team are currently being held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the U.S. Swim Team trials were held last week in Indianapolis, Indiana to select the best swimmers.
Swimmer Michael Phelps represented the United States in the Summer Olympics in 2000-2016. He has earned a record 28 Olympic medals, including 23 gold! Here is a portrait of Michael drawn by Viraj, a ten-year old student in Mumbai, India.
Now all eyes are on Paris! Who will be the next Michael Phelps? Who will get the gold medals in the dozens of different sports and games—athletics, basketball, running, volleyball, and so many other events.
—editors
“It was a great delight to draw a sketch of the most successful American swimmer, Michael Phelps, whose Olympic records are simply commendable and unimaginable, especially for a ten-year old boy like me!
When I read a few articles about him, I was awe-struck as I wondered how a boy who was so naughty and hyperactive in his younger days eventually discovered his strength in his weakness. He is a true inspiration for children like me, particularly those who had a tremendous phobia of water and have now been able to overcome the fear and have seriously taken up the sports to pro level.
His astonishing world record in multiple events, and more importantly the mental toughness that he exhibited, was proved when he spoke about his sheer sacrifice of holidays, birthdays, Christmas and his relentless hard work exhibited in the pool. How right he is, but trust me, very difficult to inculate!
Nonetheless, there is lot to learn from this incredible guy; man of great accomplishments.
So, this is a small token of huge respect to our “Aquatic Superhero” on his upcoming birthday on 30th June, from this tiny, little Indian boy.”
—Viraj Ajgaonkar, Grade 6, Mumbai, India.
By Viraj Ajgaonkar, age 10, grade 6, Mumbai, India
A strategic game with swift moves
that is played between ones or twos.
To compete in singles or doubles,
is what you need to choose.
Played atop on a mini-playground,
with net across the middle.
Holding a racquet in hand,
you simply hit the ball or fiddle.
There is no room for foul
let the game be fair,
Otherwise, you will be warned
by the referee in chair.
Quite popular by the
name ping pong,
It is every boyhood dream to play
as good as Ma Long.
A long way to learn Lebrun’s
signature style of pen-hold,
If one follows a right technique,
am sure you’ll win a gold.
It is rather difficult to play on
Bobrow’s snake serve,
Be as wise as not to hit hard, just roll
and maintain pure nerve.
Some learn forehand while
others backhand faster,
But you have to be competent
in both to be a game master.
Improved footwork and drill
enhances agility,
Rigorous practice
improves overall ability.
With more and more matches,
you learn to tackle your opponent,
And for a game of table tennis
this forms an essential component.
Advancing from an amateur to
professional level drills,
Day by day you learn
better and better skills.
The ranking of the players time to time
switches up-and-down,
You never know one fine day, you will
receive the winner’s crown.
The game demands focus, patience
and cool temperament,
To play in the event to the
spectator’s amazement.
With hours of daily practice and a stroke of luck
you may find a place in the finals
Rejoicing the moments of triumph
by winning glistening medals!
By Viraj Ajgaonkar, age 10, grade 6, Mumbai, India. He adds:
”Being a sports-enthusiast and an intermediate level table tennis player, I have tried to pen down the nitty-gritty of this racquet game in this poem using ‘simile’ as one of the figures of speech while comparing the playing surface with a mini-playground! I also like to share the experiences that I have had while playing in different level tournaments and the essential requisites with the special mention of the ‘GOATS’ (Greatest player of all times—China’s Ma Long, France’s Alex Lebrun, and Adam Bobrow, American table tennis commentator whom I greatly adore) through this poem. As a matter of fact, I do have a strong bonding, a feeling of camaraderie with my duo (my racquet-ping pong balls) and one can’t deny the fact that a sport teaches you significant skills and life values even at a very early age!
“I like to venture into varied activities and learn associated skills, which I feel is a life-long process. I envision myself to be a world-class table tennis player and grow up to be a sports coach or may pursue sports medicine! I wish to transform my passion into an initiative that would strengthen the feeling of ‘Love Sports’ in the minds of youngsters or rather every common individual.
”I also do a lot of sketching of famous personalities and exhibit interest in playing musical instruments like tabla and keyboard. I have drawn a sketch of Neymar da Silva santos Jr, a Brazilian professional soccer player as he is a great role model for young athletes. He is humble and gives 100% on the field. He posts funny videos of himself on social media and I relate myself to him as he is hyperactive and playful.”
Neymar da Silva Santos Jr, a Brazilian professional soccer player. Sketch by Viraj Ajgaonkar, age 10, India.
By Priya Elizabeth Kapur DeWinter, Grade 5, Massachusetts.
What’s your favorite food? Mine is ice cream. Have you ever wondered if ice cream could be a dress? Well, I wondered that, and it started many thoughts in my mind about designing clothes.
On the day I came up with the idea, I was sitting in Kindergarten wondering as I looked out the window. I saw a big apple tree and in that apple tree was a family of birds. “How beautiful,” I thought. I just love nature so I pulled out a piece of paper and started to draw a dress.
It had a black skirt with a red top. Across it was a green sash that reminded me of nature and the apple tree. It was a beautiful dress, it reminded me of my mom, and the beautiful things she wears. Only, she would prefer purple! The dress was beautiful and I showed it to my mom. She took a picture of it. As I got older, I looked at that picture and really started to focus on it.
Now that I’m older and going into 5th grade, I talk about my drawings. I never got to really do anything with my design after kindergarten. But, the summer before 5th grade, I finally got the opportunity to make the dress. My mom found me a sewing teacher for the summer and we started making MY dress. It was a little bit harder than I thought, but I realized nothing is impossible.
“Nothing is impossible,” I thought when I was little. Drawing is drawing but I never realized it could come to life! Drawing is easy for me but seeing the final outcome is not. You have to put thought into it and believe in yourself. I realized that no one is too young or old to start something new. And, not just for sewing, anything new, you can do! I started sewing classes and the first step was to practice. It took some learning before I could start sewing my own design. I loved learning new things and was so excited to sew the dress!
You’ve learned what I wanted to do from a young age. Now, you should go and find what you want to do. The world is full of stuff and different things to learn everyday. My dress was one dream that I never knew could become real. I really never thought this would actually happen and I loved learning how to sew and my new dress!
“My name is Priya Elizabeth Kapur DeWinter. I share my full name because it tells you about my family. My mother is 100% Indian—which is where the Kapur comes from—and my father is half Irish and half Belgian. DeWinter is a Belgian name.
“My maternal grandparents are from India. I’ve never been and hope to go one day. I speak Hindi and English. I’m an older sister. I hope I can be an author or fashion designer when I’m older. I got inspired one day to ask my mom if I could sew the dress that I designed when I was 5 so I did and made it happen, which is what my story is about along with pictures of my original design as well as the dress.”