The Force is with Ian Cole. The 15-year-old sophomore at Ida High School was chosen from more than 350 entries as the winner of the Toledo Free Press “Star Wars in Concert” contest. Cole answered four trivia questions and wrote the winning essay on why he is the region’s biggest “Star Wars” fan. He will receive two free tickets to see “Star Wars in Concert” on Dec. 1 at the Lucas County Arena, a prize package with more than 20 authentic “Star Wars” collectibles and an “out-of-this-world” dinner for two at Johnny Rockets at the Town Center at Levis Commons.

Ian Cole

“Ever since I first saw ‘A New Hope’ when I was eight, I’ve become more and more interested in ‘Star Wars,’ Cole wrote. “I now live and breathe ‘Star Wars.’ I devour ‘Star Wars’ comics and novels like there’s no tomorrow (I’m notorious with the local librarians). I religiously watch ‘The Clone Wars’ series on TV. And, my mom threatens me with extra chores when she catches me surfing Wookiepedia to learn tidbits like the fact that Greedo really did shoot first.”

Cole’s mother, Daneen Cole, said winning the contest is a huge boost for her son.

“Our family dinner conversation wouldn’t be complete without at least one ‘Star Wars’ reference,” she said. “Sometimes these include parallels from school lessons. Did you know Roman soldiers are like Stormtroopers?”

Cole’s grandmother, Sharon Blankenship, campaigned for his victory.

“Can you imagine what it is like for a 70-something grandmother to have to explain to her professional colleagues why her iPod makes swishing sounds because of the lightsaber application that Ian installed on it?” she wrote.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 6:20 pm and is filed under Arts and Life, Family Fun.
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