The Benefits of Life without a Computer

Hi Ellie Almanac readers! I wanted to let you know that I am going to overnight camp in Minnesota for 4 weeks (July 16-August 11). This means that I will not have access to my computer until I get back. It sometimes hard not to have technology like my iPod or the Internet, but it can also be so fun. Instead of playing online, I get to make new friends, learn new sports, and go on camping trips outdoors.

My mom will be in charge of approving comments and making sure the Ellie Almanac is running smoothly. Once I get back from camp, the Ellie Almanac will become super active! I will be posting more often.

When I get back, would you like me to write an article about my experiences at camp?  Let me know if you have "camp age" kids.  If there is interest, I can also write an article about the benefits of camp and how it has helped me gain more self-confidence. Just leave a comment and tell me what you want me to write about.

See you mid-August.
Ellie

From Prince.... To King! Home Run Derby 2012

Who is Prince Fielder? He is a 28 year old slugger who plays for the Detroit Tigers. He has 15 home runs and 63 RBIs so far this season and he has won two Home Run Derbies in his career. Only one other person has won more than one - Ken Griffey, Jr (who, like Prince Fielder, is the son of a former Major League All-Star player). When Prince was a kid, his dad played for the Tigers. He used to hit home runs when he participated in batting practice when he was only 12 years old.

Photo by Charlie Riedel

What is the Home Run Derby? It is a competition that takes place the night before the All-Star Game The biggest home run hitters compete to see who can hit the most home runs. There are three rounds and the winner gets a trophy.

Who was in this years Home Run Derby? For the National League there was: Carlos Beltran of the Cardinals, Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies, and Matt Kemp of the Dodgers(who was the captain of the National league). For the American League there was: Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays,  Mark Trumbo of the Angels, Robinson Cano of the Yankees (captain of the American League), and of course Prince Fielder of the Tigers.

What were my predictions? Personally, I thought Jose Bautista would win because he has been the top home run hitter in baseball for a while (he ended up getting second place), even though I was rooting for Prince Fielder. I knew Matt Kemp would not win because he is on the disabled list with a hurt hamstring. He can't run very well with his injury. I did not think Andrew McCutchen would win either. The only reason he was even in the Home Run Derby was because he was replacing someone who was injured.

Who did you think was going to win? Did you watch the Home Run Derby? Do you think it's entertaining or a waste of time? Please comment with your opinion.

Ellie Almanac fun fact!:Although Robinson Cano won the Home Run Derby in 2011, he hit no home runs this year!

Is Competitive Eating a Sport?

When most people think of sports they think of baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, and tennis. What about competitive eating? This has been an argument for many years, but there is still not an answer. 

What is competitive eating? It is basically people sitting down and seeing how much of a certain food they can eat in a specified amount of time. The person who eats the most wins. Sometimes they eat sushi, chicken wings, pulled pork, ribs, oysters, and so many other foods.

The most famous Major League Eating event takes place in New York City. It is the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. It has occurred on the 4th of July every year since 1972. Joey Chestnut holds the record with 68 hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes in 2009.

This year the champions did not surprise me at all. The winner of the woman's competition was Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas. She ate 45 hot dogs! The mens competition winner was Joey Chestnut (shown in the photo below). This was his sixth consecutive time winning the contest. He ate 68 hot dogs, tying the record.

Photo from The Star-Ledger

So is competitive eating a sport? In my opinion the answer is yes. Here are the reasons why:

1. The competitors go through a lot of training, like other athletes.

2. The contest is shown on ESPN, a sports channel.

3. After the contest, Joey Chestnut said that it took lots of physical ability... just like other sports.

What do you think? Leave a comment with your thoughts on "Is competitive eating is a sport?" I am excited to read what you think!

Intro: The Ellie Almanac

Hi. I am Ellie. Before I start posting about sports, art, travel, and all my other interests I would love to tell you more about myself and The Ellie Almanac.

Let me start by telling you the reason why I started writing in the first place. It all started when I was 8 years old, when I was entering an American Girl Magazine short story contest. I just loved writing the story, creating characters, and being able to write whatever I wanted to.... even though there was a very good chance that I would not win. As it turned out I got a letter in the mail saying that I won an honorable mention. They chose me out of thousands who entered. My name was in the magazine. The experience was amazing. My mom featured my story on her blog (read it here). After that experience I knew that I wanted to keep writing.

In fourth grade, Fall 2011, a teacher at my school invited talented 4th and 5th grade writers to write for the school newspaper. Although I had to wake up an hour early to get to participate, I still managed to write at least one article per meeting. After Mrs. Homer, the newspaper editor, published my first article, my dad showed it to his friend who writes for the Detroit News. She is the one who told me that I should start a blog. I named it The Ellie Almanac.

Now that you know the story, here is more about the blog. There will be something for everyone on my blog: a lot of sports (Detroit Tigers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Red Wings, Michigan Wolverines, and the Syracuse Orange), celebrity gossip (hopefully written by my twin sister Jenna), stories about my travels, interviews and more.

As my conclusion of the first ever Ellie Almanac article, I would like to thank everyone for reading and helping make my blog possible.