Benjamin Katz
Grade 6
Thomas W. Pyle Middle School, Bethesda
I wake up and inhale the smell of bacon and chocolate. It turns out that my mom has made a gourmet breakfast for me—a bacon-cheese omelet, a bagel with lox and creamy cream cheese and a cup of sizzling hot chocolate.
My mom, dad, sister and I finish packing our luggage and rush to the airport. We take the short plane ride to JFK airport in New York. Once there, we go to my aunt’s apartment, drop off our bags, and head to the “House that Ruth Built,” Yankee Stadium.
As planned, I am playing my major-league debut in pinstripes, for the Yankees, my favorite team. I have signed a one-day contract with my dream team. I meet all of my Yankee idols, including Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. After warming up with them, I run out to my position at second base and am ready to go. In the field, I get some groundball outs and catch a few pop flies. At bat, I hit 4 for 4, hitting for the cycle—a single, double, triple and a game-winning home run. After only one game with the team, the New York Yankees organization retires my number because of my exceptional performance. No. 11 is engraved on a plaque with my name, face and today’s date. My honorable tablet is placed in Monument Park, alongside Mickey Mantle’s and Lou Gehrig’s plates.
After my first great appearance as a “Bronx Bomber,” my mom and I take the subway to Times Square. We stroll over to the Imperial Theater and go in for the evening performance of Billy Elliot. Our seats are in the orchestra section, so they are perfect. We watch as Billy and the ensemble cast dance and leap and pirouette. After the show, they invite us backstage for a “behind-the-scenes” look at the 2009 Tony Award-winning musical. I meet the three kids who play Billy, and then I am introduced to the legendary Sir Elton John, the songwriter of the Broadway show.
Finally, we hail a cab to the legendary Carnegie Deli for dinner. We eat matzo ball soup, with a matzo ball the size of a softball, and I get a pastrami and corned beef sandwich, which is about one foot high and is bigger than my head! To finish it off, we all share a huge, tasty black-and-white cookie. After the meal, we walk back to my aunt’s apartment and spend the night.
After this great day, I fall fast asleep. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s day of fantastic events, but at the same time, I really enjoyed today’s in the Big Apple!
Joseph Wever
Grade 8
St. John the Baptist, Silver Spring
Germany. The home of fine chocolate, sausage and the Autobahn…. This is where my day begins.
I wake up with the pleasing scent of breakfast sausage arriving at my nose. I go down to the hotel cafeteria to meet Joe, James and Jack, my three companions on a worldwide campaign to set countless new world records. I love adventure around every corner of life. When we sit down, we discuss our plan. While in Germany, who could resist the joy of the Autobahn, Germany’s any-speed highway. Our plan is simple but fantastic. We plan to parachute from a C5 cargo plane at 1,100 feet down to the Autobahn, while in a Smart Car containing a tank of nitrous. “Next stop, Berlin Airport.”
We arrive at the airport at 7:30 a.m.; we need to get an early start to get to the drop zone on time. We drive the Smart Car into the plane’s cargo hold, attach the nitrous tank, and get into the plane to begin takeoff. As we near the drop zone, disaster strikes. The autopilot fails and the pilot is sick in the plane’s bathroom. In order to save the plane, Jack stayed behind to land it safely. Before Jack veered off course, Joe, James and I get into the car and ready for drop. We call Jack to open the cargo hold door and to launch the car. We hear Jack say over the intercom, “Drop in 3, 2, 1…,” only now do I realize this may not have been the best idea.
As we plummet towards the Autobahn, I get ready to pull the parachute, which, by the way, will save us from certain doom. I begin to watch our hastily installed altimeter…1,000 feet, 900 feet, 800 feet, 700 feet, pull! We land on the Autobahn, narrowly missing a Lamborghini. That could have been messy! We fire the nitrous and we’re off with the wind in our faces, or in Joe’s case, on his back (he’s in the trunk), and are filled with the joy that could only come from setting a new world record. As we speed off into the sunset, we look forward to a gourmet French meal tonight, paid for by our winnings from the folks at Guinness World Records.
