| Two kids place Father of the Year nominations |
By: ERIKA GREINER, Special to the News
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Posted: Friday, June 19, 2009 10:58 pm
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Tori Papke and her dad, Nick Papke, practice soccer drills. Her Father of the Year essay won statewide in the fourth grade category.
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Tori Papke, 10, and Caleb Irvine, 8, get twinkles in their eyes as they describe their favorite activities with their fathers.
“My dad taught me how to play soccer and he showed me all the moves,” said Tori. “Playing soccer with him is one of my favorite activities we do together.”
“I love skiing with my Dad, especially on our trips to Idaho and Colorado,” said Caleb.
Tori and Caleb’s evident love and pride for their fathers inspired them to write about their fathers, nominating them for Father of the Year.
The Father of the Year Essay Contest was created by the National Center for Fathering in 1992 in hopes of raising awareness about the importance of fathering. This spring more than 23,000 students wrote about “what their father means to them,” as part of a contest that would determine Minnesota’s Father of the Year.
Tori was certain that her father, Nick Papke, was worthy of being named Father of the Year, so she decided to write an essay nominating him.
“My Daddy means the whole GALAXY to me! I’m nominating him for Father of the Year because I couldn’t ask for a better dad,” Tori wrote.
Papke, 40, feels just as lucky to have such a special relationship with Tori.
“Every dad should be as blessed as I am to have a relationship with his daughter or son like I have with my children,” said Papke.
Papke and Tori enjoy doing many activities together, such as hiking, boating, and
playing soccer.
Although Papke was not selected as Father of the Year, both he and his daughter have something of which they are quite proud. Tori has the honor of being the fourth grade Father of the Year Essay winner, and Papke is more than flattered by his daughter’s nomination.
“Obviously the fact that my little girl would think enough of me to write a story is so touching … you can’t put something like that into words to describe what a special feeling that is,” said Papke.
Colin Irvine, 40, is one Northfield father who certainly can identify with Papke. Irvine’s son Caleb nominated his dad for the Father of the Year award as well.
“I didn’t even know that Caleb wrote this essay nominating me until we found out that his essay was one of 60 essays selected from the original 23,000 essays to be looked at again,” Irvine said. “Then I answered some questions and was informed that I made it to a pool of 10 fathers (being considered for the Father of the Year award) who would be interviewed over the phone. I somehow made it to the final group of 5 fathers nominated for the award, so we were invited to the capitol last Saturday.”
At the capitol, Irvine and Caleb learned that Irvine was selected as the winner of the Father of the Year contest, out of the original 23,000 contestants.
“My dad kept telling me that we weren’t going to win, so I was really surprised when I heard our names announced,” said Caleb with a twinkle in his eye.
“I teach English at Augsburg (College), so when I found out that Caleb wrote a winning essay I didn’t know if I should be more proud of having a son who could write a great essay or the fact that he nominated me for Father of the Year,” joked Irvine.
Irvine’s joking, playful nature is one thing his son appreciates about him.
“My dad takes me to a lot of fun places, like Grand Slam. We also like to dance in the kitchen, wrestle, and play games together,” said Caleb.
“I just can’t believe how fast time flies,” said Irvine. “I remember when Caleb had his first haircut and we cut off his little curls, that was when it first hit me. It’s important to not only be physically present, but to really be there for your children and enjoy the ride as they grow up.”
The Irvines will be at the Minnesota Twins baseball game on Saturday with their extended family when they will have the chance to walk on the baseball field and receive the grand prize, which, though still a surprise, is known to be valued at $1,200. Though this prize is exciting for Caleb, he admits that there is something else he looks forward to even more.
“I really hope I get to meet Joe Mauer,” said Irvine.
For a chance to read some of the winning Father of the Year Essays, including the essay by Tori Papke, visit www.fathers.com/contest
— Erika Greiner, a St.Olaf College graduate, is serving as a Northfield News intern. She can be reached at 645-1106 or egreiner@northfieldnews.com. |
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