You may click on the winners' names to read their essays in full.
First place winner,Joseph Rinaldi, is a recent graduate of Cornell University, where he studied Film and English. Joseph has been a boxing fan from a very young age and he wrote his essay on the role of champions in boxing. He's from Tom's River, NJ.
"Boxing, arguably the first progressive sport in the country, fought alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and Oliver L. Brown to bring forth great change and to help broaden the term “champion.” [...] From enduring an onslaught of punches in the ring to bearing the prejudices of society, present and past boxers have prevailed and made their marks in American history. Social change begins with a fearless leader, and who better to fight than a boxer?"
Second place winner, Chance Solem-Pfeifer, is a native of Jersey City, NJ and a student at the University of Nebraska. Chance studies Journalism and wrote his essay on the role of champions. He too is an admirer and life-long fan of boxing.
"There’s a magic to the boxing champion. When we talk about fighters who capture the public imagination, we’re appealing to the idea that one man’s struggle in a boxing ring for 36 minutes is a community’s struggle for recognition: to push out of society’s margins, to push out of poverty, to push out of discrimination. Whether the champion should elect it or not, when the gloves are laced up, he is a symbol."
Third place winner, Nafisa Umarova, is a New York Golden Gloves Champion from Staten Island, NY. She's a student at Hunter College and wrote an autobiographical essay about the role of boxing.
"The way we choose to lead our lives, how we treat ourselves and everyone around us, what goals we achieve and how we achieve them---this is what defines us as individuals. For those that have allowed themselves to take up boxing, to fearlessly dive into the dance and struggle of the sport, an understanding about our own lives comes alongside learning the sport. Boxing is more than just a sport. If we could see past the brutality its presented to be in society, we will come to understand that Boxing is a symbol of Life, and more than just a metaphor. Boxing and life go hand in hand."
The winners accepted their awards at the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame Banquet on November 8, 2012, in Garfield, NJ.
SARTONK congratulates all the winners and participants of the Ali-King Essay Contest. We received excellent submissions and we're proud of all those who took the chance and wrote! We'll be tweeting quotes from all the submissions throughout November.
Our deep gratitude goes out to the judges who read and evaluated the essays: Professor Gordon Marino, Professor Anna Brown, Sonya "The Scholar" Lamonakis, Michael Woods, and Ryan Maquiñana.
Many thanks to our sponsors who supported this project! Until next year...
Proudly Sponsored by
Contact
You may contact Sartonk Designs with questions about the essay contest.
Award Recipients
You may click on the winners' names to read their essays in full.
First place winner, Joseph Rinaldi, is a recent graduate of Cornell University, where he studied Film and English. Joseph has been a boxing fan from a very young age and he wrote his essay on the role of champions in boxing. He's from Tom's River, NJ.
Second place winner, Chance Solem-Pfeifer, is a native of Jersey City, NJ and a student at the University of Nebraska. Chance studies Journalism and wrote his essay on the role of champions. He too is an admirer and life-long fan of boxing.
Third place winner, Nafisa Umarova, is a New York Golden Gloves Champion from Staten Island, NY. She's a student at Hunter College and wrote an autobiographical essay about the role of boxing.
The winners accepted their awards at the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame Banquet on November 8, 2012, in Garfield, NJ.
SARTONK congratulates all the winners and participants of the Ali-King Essay Contest. We received excellent submissions and we're proud of all those who took the chance and wrote! We'll be tweeting quotes from all the submissions throughout November.
Our deep gratitude goes out to the judges who read and evaluated the essays: Professor Gordon Marino, Professor Anna Brown, Sonya "The Scholar" Lamonakis, Michael Woods, and Ryan Maquiñana.
Many thanks to our sponsors who supported this project! Until next year...
Proudly Sponsored by
Contact
You may contact Sartonk Designs with questions about the essay contest.
Phone: 201.751.4675
E-mail: hasmig@sartonk.com
Website: www.sartonk.com/ali-king.html
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sartonk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sartonk