Super Bowl XLVI: Bill Belichick tries for fourth championship

This Sunday, the New England Patriots and New York Giants will meet in Indianapolis, Indiana, in Super Bowl XLVI (46). But last weekend the teams began arriving in Indianapolis to prepare for the game.

I had the opportunity to attend the Patriots press conference at their hotel after they landed in Indy on Sunday. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady were among the people who spoke to the media.

This is the fifth time Belichick and Brady have competed in the Super Bowl. They have won three championships and lost one. The one Super Bowl they lost? It was to the New York Giants. If the Patriots win Super Bowl XLVI, it will be Belichick's fourth championship as a head coach. This would tie him for the most all-time Super Bowl wins with former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll.

At the press conference, I asked Coach Belichick how it would feel to reach that record.

"It would make me feel pretty good. It's a great honor to be mentioned in the same conversation with Chuck," Belichick said. "Chuck was the coach of the [Pittsburgh] Steelers the first year I was coach of the [Cleveland] Browns. I got to know him my first few years in the league. I coached with several coaches who coached under him at Pittsburgh. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Chuck and the job he did with his team and the organization. So, it is very flattering to be mentioned in the same sentence with Chuck Noll, so thank you for doing that."

Between the personal records and the rematch between the Patriots and the Giants, Super Bowl XLVI will be an exciting one to watch. I'll be covering Super Bowl events all week as the teams and the city prepare for the big game. Stay tuned to this blog and the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website for my stories!

And check out video of me asking Coach Belichick my question at the Patriots press conference!

—Kid Reporter Grace Ybarra

Photo: New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick answers questions at a press conference after arriving in Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI. (Photo courtesy Grace Ybarra)

Magic Kingdom moments with President Obama

Usually, when I go to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, it's to ride the rides, take a picture with my favorite character, and experience the theme park. But on January 19, the day President Barack Obama was to deliver a speech from Main St. U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom, I had different plans.

I arrived at Disney's Contemporary Resort and checked in. I was amazed to find out that I was to receive a VIP press badge that allowed me to be seated closer to President Obama as he delivered his speech. I felt like a VIP journalist because my name was already known to employees at media check in. In the media tent, there were accomplished journalists and major networks, such as NBC, ABC, CNN, the Associated Press (AP), and FOX. In the past, this may have made me feel intimidated, but being there I felt confident. Unlike many of the journalist and media that were there, I was given the opportunity by Scholastic to interview President Obama face-to-face in the White House this past summer.

In comparing notes with some of the other journalists, it was interesting to hear that their deadlines were the same as mine. I saw my future in journalism through their eyes. 

After the National Anthem, the level of excitement rose as Ruben Perez, a local small business owner in Central Florida, was announced as the person who would introduce President Obama. 

As President Obama entered Main St. U.S.A. from a store front and took the podium, there was a roar of applause. Even though I had previously interviewed him, sitting in the VIP media section about 30 feet away from President Obama I felt a rush of excitement. It's an extremely rare opportunity to sit down and interview the President in the White House, but being able to hear him deliver a speech live was a memorable experience.

As President Obama spoke about strategies and plans to boost travel and tourism in the U.S., I was captivated. It was interesting and exciting to listen to an issue that I find important – the economy. When you live in Central Florida, you realize how big a part tourism plays in our state's economy. Every year, we see our state's economy flourish from both domestic and international tourists.

Living in Central Florida you're guaranteed to know someone who is employed at Disney. Disney, as does most tourist attractions, provides jobs and a source of income for many residents. Many of the small business owners and representatives that I spoke with at the event felt confident that these strategies would provide an increase in traffic throughout the state of Florida and stimulation to our economy's growth. You can read my story about the speech on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

It was truly inspirational to hear President Obama speak about issues that affect my community and the growth of the state's economy.

—Kid Reporter Topanga Sena

Photo: President Barack Obama delivers a speech as Disney World on January 19. (Photo courtesy Topanga Sena)

Election 2012: Spinning the Charleston Republican debate

After the Republican debate in Charleston, South Carolina, last night, reporters descended on the spin room. This is where supporters of the candidates come to "spin" the debate in favor of their candidate.

The spin room was swarming reporters, who, like bees at the smell of honey, converged on supporters for all the candidates. I made my way through the crowds to ask several different people their thoughts and opinions on some of the candidates.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was in the spin room after the debate. Governor Haley is endorsing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in his presidential bid.

"[Romney] looked extremely presidential," Haley said. "The main issue of this election is jobs, and he is a jobs President."

Bud McFarlane was Ronald Reagan's National Security Advisor. He was also in the spin room after the debate. McFarlane is endorsing former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich for President. McFarlane said that Gingrich was suddenly seeing an upswing in popularity because it takes the public awhile to make sense of what the candidates have to say and Gingrich clearly makes the most sense.

I also got a chance to talk to Ron Paul's campaign manager John Tate. I wondered how Paul's apparent lack of time during the most recent debates might affect his standing at the polls. Tate said that it both helped and hurt Ron Paul's cause. He also said that it gave Ron Paul's voters "a certain energy that other candidates just don't have."

At the end of the night, all of the candidates and their supporters brought something unique and interesting to the table. It looks to be a very close race in South Carolina, and it will surely come down to the wire. For the four candidates, that means Saturday. That's when South Carolinians will head to the polls and cast their votes. Voters around the country will be watching to see how this primary unfolds.

—Kid Reporter Zach Dalzell

Photo: Kid Reporter Zach Dalzell interviews Bud McFarlane, Ronald Reagan's National Security Advisor, in the spin room after the Charleston, South Carolina, debate on January 19. (Photo courtesy Zach Dalzell)

Election 2012: My night at Romney HQ

The first primary in the country is always the most exciting and last night was no exception. Even though Mitt Romney was predicted to win, the question was still how big of a win it was going to be. Fortunately for Romney, he won with 40 percent of the vote, 17 percent ahead of second place, Congressman Ron Paul. This was a record-setting vote because it was the first where a non-incumbent Republican candidate for President has won both the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary.

Last night I went to Romney’s victory party. After going to four different polling locations, looking for Romney sign holders to interview, interestingly there were only Ron Paul supporters and only Romney lawn signs. After striking out on sign holders, I went back to his victory party which was held in a small cafeteria at Southern New Hampshire University. I walked into the press entrance, got my credentials, and went to stake out the building. There was a big line going to a desk for passes to get into his speech and people waiting in line to see the speech even though he wasn’t coming for hours.

After scoping out the room, I decided to go to the overflow room where people from all around the world came together to see who would win the first primary in the nation. The party had a very upbeat vibe with people singing and dancing to music and the occasional “Mitt 2012!” 

After talking to people I decided to go back to the room where Romney was to do his speech. Romney came out of the box swinging with a speech of thanks and directed attacks on Obama, not his fellow Republican candidates. Romney made it clear that he was not going to stop until he was President.  

After his speech I decided to go to the elevator he would come out of and get a quote. Unfortunately, Romney wouldn’t even look at me and the other reporters. I then raced over to the “overflow” room where he was to give a second speech thanking those supporters. Once again he refused to answer my question of “What would be the first thing you would do as president?”  Maybe he’ll answer that question at his next stop, South Carolina…

—Kid Reporter Coleman Hirschberg

Photo: Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney addresses supporters after his victory in the New Hampshire primary on January 10. (Photo courtesy Coleman Hirschberg)

Election 2012: Caucuses are direct democracy

On January 3, Iowa held its caucus. It’s the first election in the presidential primary campaign.

“A caucus is like a town hall meeting when people come and directly participate", says Steve Robinson, precinct D74 chairman. "A caucus is a direct democracy."

Everyone who votes has to be a member of the Republican party. One person per candidate can stand up and talk to the audience about the candidate they support. They have five minutes to do this. Each person is then given a ballot and puts a checkmark next to the name of the candidate they choose. All the ballots are counted right away and the results are announced to the audience at the caucus. The caucus officials call the totals into the county, and the county officials call the information into the Iowa state headquarters. All of this happens within two to three hours.

Between the two caucus sites I visited, there were 312 people. The oldest person was 93 years old and there were many people in their 20s. Everyone was there for the same thing: to vote for the person they think would be the best to lead our country.

"I believe [the caucus] the most unique expression of American democracy in the country,” Scott Anderson told me.

—Kid Reporter Adam Metivier

Photo: Kid Reporter Adam Metivier with precinct D74 chairman Steve Robinson on caucus night in Iowa. (Photo courtesy Adam Metivier)