The National Youth Storytelling Olympics
The National Youth Storytelling Olympics or NYSO, is a national competition open to all youth storytellers. In 2004 I was chosen to be one of fourteen from all over the nation to go to California to tell and compete.
The trip was great! My family and I spent our first night in Sequoia National Park and the next day we went down to the Central Valley. The way that the finalists were judged was not just on our skill but our ambassadorship qualities as well. There where two concerts that we (the finalists) told at, one on Friday (April 2nd) and one on Saturday (the 3rd). On Thursday (the 1st) we told some stories to several different schools in the area. And on Sunday we took a day trip to Yosemite National Park. The finalists are broken up into age groups A. B. and C. I was in C. All finalists are given a trophy for making it there, but in each age group there is a Torchbearer which is the "best" teller in that age group. And then there is a Grand Torchbearer selected out of all fourteen finalists. And that's what I am. I am the 2004 Grand Torchbearer! In other words, I won! But all of the finalists were already winners, as we were chosen over thousands of others.
This event is now known as the National Youth Storytelling Showcase (NYSS) and is held in Pigeon Forge TN. For more information go to www.mypigeonforge.com/youth_story.asp
