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Judges Name Winner of Mazda's Inaugural Out-of-the-Box Awards

8 December 1998

Dennis Rodman, Marisa Tomei & Jane Krakowski Among Judges Who Name North Carolina's Molly Barker Winner of Mazda's Inaugural Out-of-the-Box Awards

    Winner Drives Home in a New 1999 Mazda Protege After Lunch with Judges

    NEW YORK, Dec. 7 -- North Carolina's Molly Barker was named
America's most offbeat, creative, dare-to-be-different character today during
the national finals of the Mazda Out-Of-The-Box Awards at New York's famous
Chelsea Piers.  A celebrity panel of judges, all of whom are "out-of-the-box"
themselves, selected Barker for the award, which includes a 1999 Mazda
Protege.  Each of the five finalists, selected from thousands of entries,
performed live presentations to demonstrate why they were "Out-of-the-Box."
    Barker, 37, of Huntersville, North Carolina, is a mother, former teacher,
coach and four-time Ironman Triathlon participant who left her job to develop
the "Girls On The Run" Program.  "Girls On The Run" is an experiential
learning program for girls ages 8-12 that combines training for a 5K run with
life-changing, self-esteem-enhancing workouts.  She started with 13 girls, and
now has more than 300 graduates and 300 participants across the country.
    "What a title!  I never thought I'd be named most 'Out-of-the-Box' person
in the country...Mazda has done something really different here.  This is a
lot of fun," said Barker.
    The event was co-hosted by national spokesperson Jane Krakowski  ("Elaine"
on the hit show "Ally McBeal") and Richard Beattie, Mazda North American
Operations President and CEO.  The panel of judges included such break-from-
the-herd individualists as: Dennis Rodman, Marisa Tomei, Judge Mills Lane,
Mother Love and Eric Fogel.  In addition to their roles as celebrity judges,
each received an OOTB Award for their own personalities.
    Each finalist received an expense-paid trip to compete in New York, and a
one-year lease on the new 1999 Mazda Protege ES.  The all-new '99 Mazda
Protege combines crisp, European-inspired styling with spirited performance
and reliability while boasting the roomiest interior in its class.  The
Protege is available at Mazda dealerships with prices starting at $11,970.
    Mazda North American Operations is responsible for the research and
development, sales and marketing, and customer parts and service support of
Mazda vehicles in the United States.  Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., has
more than 800 dealerships nationwide and is owned by Mazda Motor Corporation,
Hiroshima, Japan.