12-year-old bests Marine in contest

This is old news, but I wanted to preserve it here in our on-line scrapbook...
We're still very proud of this one!


Neighbors column by JOHN P. CLEARY
Star-Gazette.COM Local News

Each year, the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Va., holds an annual military expo that features a push-up contest.

There are no age divisions, and the contest is open to everyone. This year, John Michael B. Schamel, 12, the son of Waverly graduate John B. Schamel and Robynn Schamel and grandson of Jack and Sally Schamel of Chemung, decided he'd give it a try.

Everyone knows a Marine can do push-ups. This year, a Marine corporal entered in the contest did 236 of them. That's a lot of push-ups. But he didn't even come close to John Michael.

The Stafford, Va., resident did 350 push-ups to easily defeat the Marine and the rest of the competition.

"He could have done more," said his grandfather. "They asked him why he stopped, and he said that everyone was stopping to look at him, and he figured (the organizers) would want them to do something else."

John Michael's prize was three backpacks with built-in canteens. You cans trap one to your back and hit the trail without stopping for a water break--just pull out the build-in hose and drink as you go.

Jack said John Michael thinks the backpacks are nice, but he'd rather have had last year's prize, a new bicycle.