TONASKET – In the words of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes mascot Tony the Tiger, Bailey Griffin “is great!”

Bailey, a 10-year-old fifth grader at Tonasket Elementary School, is one of four finalists for the Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Earn Your Stripes (EYS) program with the chance to win the second annual Youth Achievement Award at the 2009 ESPY Breakfast. As a runner in the Girls on the Run program, which is sponsored nationally by Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Bailey was eligible to apply for this award.

According to Kellogg’s, the EYS program was created by Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes “to encourage kids to eat right, work hard and take their game to the next level. Earn Your Stripes encourages kids to believe in themselves to overcome challenges, accomplish their goals and be their very best.”

For Bailey, the process to become a finalist began two months ago, her mother, Julianna Griffin, said.

“She filled out the application in December and did a phone interview three or four weeks later,” she said. “Then, at the end of January, we heard she was a finalist.”

Bailey said she was really surprised when she heard she was a finalist and that she was excited to film her Award Short, part of the EYS program.

“The video shoot was awesome!” Bailey said. “I did an interview with Luke, their reporter, and so did my mom. Then we went to Tonasket History Park and ran with our dogs. After that, we went to the school and had Subway for lunch and then they shot me running with my Girls on the Run buddies. Then they had us all yell ‘vote for me’ and then I said ‘thank you’ to my friends, coaches and family for encouraging me and giving me lots of motivation.”

Bailey said she liked the entire video shoot process and that it was a fun experience for her.

“I’d never been on camera before, so that was really exciting,” she added. “I also liked bringing attention to Girls on the Run in Tonasket.”

Bailey’s mom said she was overwhelmed when she found out Bailey was a finalist for the EYS program.

“I couldn’t believe my little 10-year-old was a national finalist in anything!” she said. “I wasn’t entirely surprised though because we think she’s pretty charming. They asked her what Girls on the Run has done for her and she talked about how confident it’s made her and I could just see it while she was talking.”

Bailey, who says this spring is her fifth and final time doing Girls on the Run, said she enjoys the program because it encourages her to change her life.

“I love doing Girls on the Run because I get to meet lots of people in grades three through five and I love all the games we play,” she said. “I stay fit and healthy. I love getting rid of old, bad habits and replacing them with new, good ones. The coaches are really nice, they motivate me to run harder and alter my attitude. I’d really like to thank my coaches for helping me so much; altering my attitude while altering my life.”

Through Girls on the Run, Bailey has done five 5k runs and another two on her own. She said she is currently training with her mom to run the Portland Marathon in 2012, which is 26.2 miles.

To win the Youth Achievement Award, a film crew from Kellogg’s came to Tonasket on Wednesday, Feb. 11 and shot footage of Bailey in her home, at History Park running with her mom and their dogs and at Tonasket Elementary School, running with the Girls on the Run team. The crew filmed from 8 a.m. at Bailey’s home until they finished at the elementary school at 4 p.m. and will use the footage to put together a 60 second film. This film will be loaded sometime after May 18 onto the EYS ESPN hub, www.espn.com/earnyourstripes, where people will be able to watch Bailey’s video, along with the other three finalists, and vote once daily for their favorite finalist.

If Bailey wins this award, she and one of her parents will get to fly to Los Angeles for the 2009 ESPY Breakfast the week of July 13.

“If she wins, that will be the first time she’s been on a plane other than the Father’s Day Fly-In,” Bailey’s mom said. “I will probably go with her because Eric hates to travel and he hates L.A. When Bailey applied for the award, he said ‘and you’ll be the parent.'”

Bailey said she would be “psyched” if wins.

“I’m going to be thrilled to go to L.A.,” she added. “I love traveling and I’ve basically been stuck in Washington my whole life. I would also be very, very honored to go to the ESPY Breakfast.”