Redmond Spokesman, March 29, 2000

She was nervous the first time, but this year...she's really nervous.

For the second consecutive year, Amanda Clanton, a junior at Redmond High School, will compete against nine other teens April 7 at the state Boys and Girls Club Teen of the Year contest in Salem.

The winner will take home a $25,000 college scholarship. Although college is still a year away for the 16-year old Clanton, she smiles nervously at the thought of that much cash on the line.

"I think about it a lot," she said. "I mean, what if I have a bad day that day. It wasn't that long ago I couldn't stand up in front of anybody."

What a difference three years and the Redmond Boys and Girls Club has made. In fact, speaking in front of crowds is old news for Clanton. Her first speech for the club was in front of 150 people. Three years and dozens of speeches later, she has won the Redmond Teen of the Year contest three years in a row and has topped the field at the district level the past two years.

But she's not taking any chances this year. She didn't expect to win at last year's state contest, but this year she's going for the gold.

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