Singing music, swinging to the beat and seeing a star were just some of the events provided free to local children choosing to "stand up and speak out against tobacco" this weekend.
About 275 local 11- to 17-year-olds attended Standfest 2003 at Hocking College Saturday afternoon. The program was a part of the Stand campaign guided by the Ohio Teen Advisory Panel organized in April 2002.
At the Athens Standfest students could play Dance Dance Revolution and other video games, compete in a lip-sync contest, climb through an inflatable obstacle course, get temporary tattoos, audition to be in future stand campaign commercials or just hang out with friends in a tobacco-free environment.
Athens High School student Michael Glass, who performed Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" complete with costume and dance moves, won the solo part of the lip-sync contest, which was judged by Yes Duffy, most recently seen on MTV's "Real World/Road Rules Battle of the Sexes Challenge". Olivia Dudding of Athens Middle School and Marilyn Maher of Alexander Junior High School won the group part of the competition.
Duffy, who has traveled the state this month appearing at previous Standfests in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati, said he smoked when he was in eighth and ninth-grades and was able to quit, but does not take credit for the event's success.
'I'm just a guest that cares about the issue," Duffy said. "(The kids) are the ones who put the time and effort in behind the scenes to make all this work."
He said teens contributing to the program on their own terms are a major part of its success.
Athens High School junior Claire Gilbert said though the Standfest was a type of reward for local kids choosing not to use tobacco, its main goal was to inform more people about Stand.
"If kids haven't heard about Stand they will, and it will be big for them to see lots of local people say 'I don't smoke and I'm happy with that'," she said. "It will be especially effective at getting the message across to younger students."
The Stand campaign teaches teens to set examples for younger children. With this approach, Stand organizers hope to reach a wider age range of children.
"We've been pitting the older kids as leaders, basically saying that if they don't use tobacco, they will do something good for these younger kids," said Jessica George, vice president of Northlich, Stand's advertising company.
Program Manager Tracey O'Dell said the Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation, which the Ohio General Assembly created in 2002 and funded with monies from the national Master Settlement Agreement between tobacco companies and 46 states including Ohio, funds Stand.
George said a long-term goal of Stand is to change the future's culture by getting today's youth to stop thinking of smoking as a norm and to start considering it unusual.
"As more teens get involved, more people become aware of the campaign which will ultimately reduce the cultural acceptance of tobacco use in Ohio," Duffy said.
Athens Standfest vital stats:
275 students attended
21 middle and high school students competed in the lip-sync contest
80 students auditioned to be Stand television ads
Performances by Sadie's Sorry and the Bucket Boyz, both of Cincinnati
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Natalie Morales
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Madeline Young of the sixth grade at Marietta Middle School looks up at Yes, a cast-member of Road Rules: Semester At Sea and an inspirational speaker at Standfest at Hocking College on Saturday. The anti-tobacco festival included a lip-sync contest and a
