Weston Family Of Valley Village, Ca. Named First-Ever National 'Minivan Summer Games' Champion
Weston's top 5,500 families nationwide to win gold medal and drive home in a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country minivan on their way to their dream vacation anywhere in the world
* The silver medalist, the Hutt family from Garland, Texas, wins a new 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan and heads to a dream vacation anywhere in the United States
* The Pearlman family from Ann Arbor, Mich. captures the bronze medal and drives home with a two-year lease on a new 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
NEW YORK, July 31 -- The Weston family of Valley Village, Ca. proved they are the best family in America at using a minivan to handle the rigors of everyday life when they won the gold medal at the first-ever national Minivan Summer Games finals July 31 in New York City. As champions, the Weston's demonstrated the best speed and coordination when challenged with a series of real-world events and were awarded an all-new 2005 Chrysler Town & Country minivan with the Stow 'n Go(TM) seating and storage system and a trip anywhere in the world.
The Hutt family of Garland, Texas was awarded the silver medal earning them an all-new 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan and a family vacation anywhere in the United States. The Pearlman family of Ann Arbor, Mich. won the bronze medal and a two-year lease on an all-new 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan.
"I thought winning the trip to New York City to compete in the finals was exciting, but winning a trip anywhere in the world and a Chrysler Town & Country as the Minivan Summer Games champion is the ultimate reward," said Sheri Weston, captain of the Weston family team. "In order for us to truly enjoy our dream vacation, we're going to wait until my son, currently serving in Iraq, can come home and join us.
Chrysler Group, the inventor and long-standing leader of the minivan segment, created the first-ever Minivan Summer Games to promote the importance of family and quality time together while driving, as well as the togetherness and teamwork needed to handle the rigors of daily life. The games celebrate the all-new 2005 Chrysler and Dodge minivans with the Stow 'n Go seating and storage system and the 20th anniversary of the minivan, ultimate family vehicle.
"We wanted to create a fun competition featuring all the unique features of our Chrysler and Dodge minivans, especially our exclusive Stow 'n Go seating and storage system," said Larry Lyons, Vice President, front-wheel Drive Product Team. "This competition was our way of recognizing the fundamental life skills that families demonstrate every day in our minivans. Congratulations to all of the families who have shown outstanding amounts of strength, determination and teamwork."
The final competitions included stowing, going, packing, running, and putting families to the test in a series of real-world events reflecting the hustle and bustle of everyday life in a minivan.
The Weston's trip to the finals began five weeks ago when families from across the country were invited to enter their team during an online qualifying round, which asked contestants to fill out an entry form and questionnaire at http://www.minivansummergames.com/. The families also were required to write a convincing story explaining why they should be selected to compete and how an all-new 2005 Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Grand Caravan could change their lives:
In their essay, the Westons wrote, "We help, drive, feed, teach and have fun with gobs of kids every day. It would make our lives so much easier if we had a new minivan to cart everyone around. We're eager family of four. Athletic, smart, out-going, fun, & ready for the challenge. Give us the go ahead and we're there," as the reasons why they should be named the best family in America at using a minivan to handle the rigors of everyday life.
Judges then selected contestants from more than 5,500 families that signed up via the online qualifying round and invited them to compete in one of the eight semi-final games held in Boston, Cheyenne, Wyo., Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, Raleigh, N.C., Gilroy, Calif. and Virginia Beach, Va. The eight gold medal families from these semi-final games won a trip to New York City to represent their region in the national finals.
The Minivan Summer Games national final competition included:
* Family Dream Vacation - While dressed in costumes, families race to
pack the minivan for a dream vacation while running and crawling
through various obstacles
* Manhattan Marathon - Contestants collect odd-shaped, New York - themed
objects and rush to stow them all out of sight in the minivan, leaving
room to comfortably fit the entire family
* Stow 'n Go Spin - Families spin a wheel of different real-life minivan
tasks and complete the first five tasks as quickly and accurately as
they can
* Side Door Shot Put - Clad in rain ponchos, families toss water balloons
through minivans to their teammates waiting on the opposite side
Since introducing the minivan 20 years ago, Chrysler Group has sold more than 10 million minivans worldwide and has a 34 percent share of the minivan market. The minivan market continues to be vibrant with industry-wide sales averaging 1.2 million for the past 10 years.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040731/NYSA016AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
NOTE TO EDITORS: Additional information, photos and news from DaimlerChrysler is available on the Internet at: http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com