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Kelowna  

Local kids take Disney trophy

Two Kelowna kids have been keeping a secret from friends and family for months, but the time has come to tell everyone they are the winners of Disney XD Canada's Grizzly Cup.

We shared the story with you in October of the the brother and sister duo who were battling on the TV show to reign supreme over three other Canadian teams.

When we first spoke with dad, Michael Woodworth, and his kids Mia, 13, and Tobin, 11, they knew they had already won the coveted trophy, but had to hide it until the final episode aired.

“Finally Tuesday night it was revealed and we all found out that our children, the only sibling team, proudly representing Kelowna and British Columbia, won the Grizzly Cup against three other teams that were picked out of 4,000 auditioning kids,” shares a clearly excited dad.

“Mia and Tobin are just thrilled, they are over the moon. They are so happy for each other, they were overwhelmed and we were too.”

The Kelowna team won the 'Grizzly Cup', a TV reality show for kids that pits the teams against each other in outdoor athletic competitions.

Disney hosted an open casting call at various locations across the country this summer, looking for eight kids to compete in their new 'Survivor' type adventure show.

In an interesting twist, the winning kids nearly missed their chance, but fought to win their spot on the show with a persistent grandmother by their side.

“We didn't find out there was even going to be auditions for the show until it was too late and the spots for Kelowna auditions had already been filled,” explains Woodworth.

“They told me they were having an overwhelming response for Kelowna and that kids were coming from all over the Interior so they at first said 'sorry no dice',” says Woodworth. “But an email did say if you come early enough and if by chance some people didn't show up, no guarantees, but if you come down, show your persistence, maybe.”

The problem was that Woodworth and his wife were out of town on that day and didn't feel right asking Grandma to wake at sunrise to take the kids there with only a small chance at an audition. But Grandma did it anyway.

“Long story short, my mom is a real trooper and can be highly persistent and energetic,” laughs Woodworth.

“She actually had them down there at the break of dawn and was even there before anyone at Disney, and managed to convince them to let them enter the contest. If it weren't for the efforts of Nana Mary, none of it would have even happened."

As to why Woodworth believes his kids reigned supreme, dad believes it was that sibling bond.

“I don’t think strength of character and determination set them apart because honestly all four teams had that in spades,” says Woodworth. “I would have to speculate that maybe the fact they are a sibling team that actually really trusts and supports each other, and they actually think they have a touch of ESP, they can actually sort of read each others minds, I think that may have given them a slight edge.”

However, he does say that it was a very close game and the final three teams were mere points apart.

Months after their win the Woodworth team still stays in touch with the other teams and the experience has left a lifetime of memories for the sibling duo.

Their win was announced when the show aired on Disney TV this week.



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