competition

Around Town

Arlington ultramarathoner, 51, preps for seven days of 50K races across all seven continents

By Dan Egitto
Michael Wardian competing at a race in May (courtesy of Michael Wardian)

An Arlington ultramarathoner with a history of extreme athletic stunts is preparing for one of his most ambitious challenges yet: seven back-to-back 50K races on all seven continents.

Michael Wardian, a 51-year-old Arlington Forest resident who ran across the entire country from coast to coast in 2022, has already competed in the World Marathon Challenge twice before, running a full marathon every single day in a different part of the world. Later this month, he’ll be back in action with an even loftier goal — seeking to beat the world record for the even longer 50K option.

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Around Town

Yorktown sophomore wins piano competition, will perform with National Chamber Ensemble

By Scott McCaffrey
Yorktown High School student pianist Sam Brose (courtesy National Chamber Ensemble)

A 15-year-old Yorktown High School sophomore has become the first from Arlington to win a regional competition spotlighting youth pianists.

Sam Brose was selected as the winner among eight finalists in the  2025 Nancy Peery Marriott Young Artist Competition. He and two other young honorees will be spotlighted at the upcoming holiday concert of the National Chamber Ensemble.

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News

N. Va. Senior Olympics kick off with over 200 Arlington competitors

By Scott McCaffrey
Janet Garber was torch-carrier for the 2026 Senior Olympics (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

More than 200 of Arlington’s “seasoned citizens” are among a record 1,200 across the region participating in the 2025 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics.

That county’s total of 209 competitors is up 17% from 2024, making Arlington the jurisdiction with the second most participants this year — behind Fairfax County.

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Around Town

Rep. Beyer is spelling bee champ in annual contest between politicians and press

By Ryan Cole
Congressman Don Beyer holds spelling bee trophy (via National Press Club/X)

Arlington’s congressman took home the title at the latest annual spelling competition between politicians and members of the media.

Rep. Don Beyer (D) won the National Press Club’s annual “Press & Politicians Spelling Bee” on June 25. His winning word was “stygian,” meaning “of or relating to the river Styx” or “extremely dark, gloomy or forbidding.”

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Sports

Organizers of Senior Olympics expect 2025 to be biggest ever

By Scott McCaffrey
Rod Hupp (third from right) in disc-golf competition (courtesy N.Va. Senior Olympics)

Arlington’s “seasoned citizens” will have more opportunities than ever to participate in the 2025 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics.

The organization aims for an expansive, inclusive, record-setting 2025 when competition begins later in the year.

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Schools

Wakefield High School robotics team secures spot at world championship

By James Jarvis
Wakefield High School’s Paragon robotics team at a VEX Robotics tournament in Bristol, Tennessee (courtesy of Wendy Maitland)

For the first time in program history, a Wakefield High School robotics team has qualified for the VEX Robotics World Championship.

The team, named “Paragon,” secured its spot at Worlds following a standout performance at an international robotics tournament last weekend in Bristol, Tenn.

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Schools

Kenmore seventh grader earns national recognition for space research project

By James Jarvis
Maedot Ayalew (courtesy of Society for Science)

A Kenmore Middle School seventh grader is receiving national recognition for a project studying massive bursts of plasma from the sun.

Maedot Tinsae Ayalew has been named one of 30 finalists in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, a contest that celebrates middle schoolers who excel in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

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Events

‘Meat In The Street’ event in Shirlington to feature Taco Bamba, ChiKo chefs

By Jared Serre
ChiKo chef Scott Drewno and Taco Bamba chef Victor Albisu (courtesy LeadingDC)

Two local chefs will compare “giant meat sticks” this weekend.

Chefs from ChiKo and Taco Bamba will battle in a “fried faceoff” to determine whose oversized eggroll reigns supreme. The event, dubbed “Meat in the Street,” will be held at The Village at Shirlington during the day on Sunday, June 9.

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News

Arlington high school student’s artwork selected for display in U.S. Capitol

By James Jarvis
'Museum Portal' by Kaya Vickers

A student artist from Arlington’s Washington-Liberty High School will soon see her artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol.

Last week, Rep. Don Beyer announced that junior Kaya Vickers’ acrylic painting, “Museum Portal,” was selected from dozens of entries by Northern Virginia students in the 8th congressional district.

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Around Town

Arlington pickleball enthusiasts join inmates at second jail tournament

By Savannah Taffe
Pickleball tournament at the Arlington County Detention Facility (photo courtesy of Arlington County Sheriff's Office)

Inmates at the Arlington County Detention Facility picked up their paddles once again to compete in a pickleball tournament this week — and this time they had some additional friends.

The Pickleball Friends of Arlington joined the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Parks and Recreation to host a sequel to last November’s jail pickleball tournament. The two-day competition started on Tuesday and ended yesterday with players on two winning teams receiving a $10 credit for their commissary accounts.

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Around Town

Local teen wins $250k toward his burgeoning career as a race car driver

By Jo DeVoe
Hudson Schwartz behind the wheel (courtesy photo)

(Updated at 4:50 p.m.) Arlington teen Hudson Schwartz was four years old when he took the wheel of his first go-kart and was quickly hooked.

Ten years later, and behind the wheel of a real race car, he won a 15-race series and a $250,000 scholarship. He will put the money toward realizing his dream of becoming a professional auto racer.

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Schools

Yard work builds bonds and bots for Arlington robotics team

By Jo DeVoe
Koibots team members doing yard work to raise money (courtesy photo)

An Arlington Tech robotics team has an unusual strategy for building camaraderie and raising money ahead of competition season: yard work.

Every fall, members of the Koibots weed, rake and landscape around 40 yards in Arlington. Money funds the cost to pay for robot parts and travel and lodging when competitions start in March.

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