Nadzeya Ostapchuk Controversy.

There were rumors around the Olympics that Nadzeya Ostapchuk had taken drugs when she won a gold medal for shot put. After her drug test, she tested positive for steroids. Everyone was right!  She was cheating and now she has been stripped of her gold medal. It is rightfully Valerie Adams' medal.

She was tested twice, first on the 5th of August and then the day after she had won. They both showed up as being positive but Nadzeya is refusing to give the medal back. She claims she didn’t take any kind of drug or steroids. Ostapchuk is accusing Valerie of taking the drugs and saying that she was the victim.

I think that the reason Nadzeya Ostapchuk took the steroids was because she was sick of coming second to Valerie. Ostapchuk was jealous and just wanted one time to be the winner. She didn’t need to take drugs to be the best, all she needed to do was to train hard and push herself.

Valerie Adams is in Switzerland right now, but when she comes home do you think she should have a medal ceremony? I do because Valerie didn't get to stand on the podium and hear the NZ national anthem like she would have wanted to.

Animation Apprentice Workshop

It was Thursday the 16th and I was so excited for what was going to take place in the Tusitala meeting room at 12 o’clock. The creators of bro town came to our school to show us some techniques and tips on how to animate. The creators Maka and Ali were here to teach us how animation is done. Nils is a guy that came with and he works at the museum.

Our lesson was about the history of cartoons and how they first made cartoons. Ali showed us a number of some cartoon characters silhouettes. We had to guess what cartoon they were from by looking at the features. The first one was a dinosaur, but it wasn't just any old dino. It was a the first moving picture and dated back to the 1900s. A few years later people took it to the next level creating the first mickey mouse steamboat cartoon. It was the first cartoon that included sound.

After all of the yelling and laughing that the silhouettes brought, Ali showed us a very interesting toy. It was a zoetrope! What is a zoetrope? Well its a toy that shows an animation that you draw on paper. Ali showed us an animation where there was a hand was dribbling a ball. It was so cool! 

After taking turns and seeing the amazing animation, it was time to learn how to do 'tweening.' If you dont know what tweening is, it's when there are two lines and they are split in between to show the moving object. We had some exercises to learn how to tween, then we were handed a piece of paper with lines that kind of looked like a jellyfish. We drew loose lines on a separate piece of paper and colored it in. Then we put it in the zoetrope and it was soo awesome! It was moving around and flopping its tentacles.

Tomorrow is our last session with the Animation Apprentice workshop. I really want to keep going to the workshop because it is so cool. I have learnt so much through the first session and I cant wait until tomorrow.

Olympic Message

“The most important thing about the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part...just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle”. This very inspiring message was said by the founder of the modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin to encourage  the participants  of the Olympics. He also is the creator of the olympic flag in 1914.

The Olympic message can mean many different things to different people. To me it means not to just go to the olympics to win, but to also have fun and enjoy the games. I also think the message means not to give up when something gets hard, but to learn from it and to be even stronger.

I agree with the message because the olympics isn’t about who is going to win the most medals. It is about trying your best and having fun. I really think that people are too competitive and they don't remember that it is just a game and you don’t have to win. They are the best no matter if you win or lose.

Participating in the olympics games can take a big toll on the athlete's social life. They have to make huge sacrifices. For example, they have to give up most activities to do with their families and friends because they have to train most of the time so they can be at the best of their game. It’s probably really hard for them to give up this time but it can help in the games. The olympic message can motivate and help them succeed if they just listen.


The olympic message is so inspiring and can help athletes get through tough times. I hope the olympic message is carried out for many more years.

Victory!

1) As the crowd cheered, she was handed a gold medal and a big bouquet of flowers.
2) With a huge smile on her face, she held up her gold medal with pride, so happy that she had won it for Team China.
3) With the gold medal dangling from her neck, she celebrated with her fellow team mates.
4) This astonishing athlete was very satisfied with her victory.

Champions

1. The score was 12 all and one goal would end it all.
2. The crowd were on the edge of their seats, watching the girls get closer and closer to the goal..
3. One of the girls saw an opportunity to help her team win.
4.GOAL!
5. Ecstatic at their winning shot, the girls start jumping up and down screaming with excitement.