MasterCard Canada helps 16-year-old become a professional sports journalist for RDS
Boucherville teen wins the ‘Be a Junior Reporter Contest’ as part of the MasterCard Memorial Cup
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MasterCard Canada announced the grand prize winner of the Be a Junior Reporter Contest: 16-year-old Nicolas Auclair, from Boucherville in the Montérégie. The announcement was made at the opening of the MasterCard Memorial Cup junior hockey tournament in Rimouski, Quebec.
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The MasterCard Be a Junior Reporter Contest provides a young hockey fan with an interest in journalism the opportunity of getting an early start in the fast-paced profession by producing a news report for television.
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The contest judges chose the winner among five finalists who auditioned at the beginning of May. Many young people from 13 to 18 years of age entered the contest by sending a short essay explaining why he or she would be the ideal candidate to report on the MasterCard Memorial Cup, taking place from May 15 to 24, 2009.
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An uncommon sports platform
“For me, this prize is more than an experience: it’s the realization of a dream that I’ve had for a long time,” says Nicolas Auclair, a student at Collège Charles-Lemoyne. “I hope that it will be the beginning of a long career as a sports journalist. Lots of hockey fans can call phone-in shows, share their thoughts on blogs or discuss their opinions about sports with friends. But I’ll have the chance to do it from the MasterCard Memorial Cup on RDS. It’s just incredible.”
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From May 15-17, the first weekend of the tournament, Nicolas Auclair will have access to players, fans, referees and the commissioners on-site – the same access granted to seasoned sports reporters. Nicolas’s story will air on RDS on May 20, 2009.
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“MasterCard Canada has always supported young people’s development and has now been involved for 12 years with the Canadian Hockey League and hockey across the country,” said Martin Leman, Vice-President, MasterCard Canada. “We believe that having the Memorial Cup in Quebec is a unique opportunity to combine the two and have young Quebeckers participate in this great sports event.”
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In addition to the broadcast of a report on RDS province-wide, Nicolas Auclair’s grand prize includes a return trip for four to Rimouski, hotel accommodations, tickets to three games and other activities during the MasterCard Memorial Cup weekend.
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More young people get special treatment from MasterCard Canada
In addition to this contest, MasterCard Canada will donate the Memorial Cup tickets it received in exchange for its sponsorship of the tournament. The Little Fans in Big Seats™ program distributes these tickets with the help of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, to give kids a chance to enjoy an exciting experience with the best seats at junior hockey games.
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About MasterCard Worldwide
MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes approximately 21 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial-institution customers and merchants. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network and through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information, go to www.mastercard.com.
Photo by Aaron Bell/CHL