Girl Power: Tennessee 10-Year-Old Going to Big Game as Super Bowl LII Kid Reporter

Make no mistake about it: 10-year-old Natalie Blank from Franklin, Tenn., is a bona fide history-maker. The fifth-grader at Clovercroft Elementary School is a soccer-playing art lover who also dabbles in Panini America football cards with younger brothers Davis and Brady. But it was Natalie who turned her packs of 2017 Donruss Football from Target into the experience of a lifetime and a trip to Super Bowl LII. In earning the grand prize in Panini America's season-long Panini Super Bowl Kid Reporter sweepstakes, Natalie becomes the first girl to claim top honors.

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Make no mistake about it: 10-year-old Natalie Blank from Franklin, Tenn., is a bona fide history-maker. The fifth-grader at Clovercroft Elementary School is a soccer-playing art lover who also dabbles in Panini America football cards with younger brothers Davis and Brady. But it was Natalie who turned her packs of 2017 Donruss Football from Target into the experience of a lifetime and a trip to Super Bowl LII. In earning the grand prize in Panini America’s season-long Panini Super Bowl Kid Reporter sweepstakes, Natalie becomes the first girl to claim top honors.

As a result, Natalie will cover Super Bowl LII Opening Night with a huge assist from Super Bowl-champion quarterback Trent Dilfer, interviewing players from the AFC and NFC Champions; and she will be treated to a week that her and her family will never forget.

“I think it’s amazing,” Natalie said via phone earlier this week. “I was really excited and surprised when Mr. Dilfer called to tell me. I’ve been working on my questions but they’re not the best yet.”

You can bet Natalie and her father, Derek, will have her questions fine-tuned before tomorrow night’s Super Bowl LII Opening Night event. Last year, you may recall, Panini America Super Bowl LI Kid Reporter Joseph Perez stole the show with this poignant and powerful exchange with Tom Brady himself. We’re thinking Natalie might just have a few show-stealing questions herself.

Natalie admits that she “kind of wants the Patriots to win” Super Bowl LII but insists she’ll have a much better idea of who she’s rooting for by the end of tomorrow night.

“It depends which players have the better answers,” father Derek said.

Natalie is a big fan of the hometown Tennessee Titans (she wore a Delanie Walker jersey in her finalist video) and her favorite Panini America trading card is actually her brother Davis’ Brady card. Brady, of course, is also the one player she’s most looking forward to interviewing tomorrow night.

“The Panini Super Bowl Kid Reporter promotion is one of the most important marketing initiatives we do, not just because it impacts so many of our products and provides season-long incentive, but because it helps connect kids to trading cards and epitomizes what Panini America trading cards are all about: Bringing fans as close as possible to their on-field heroes,” said Jason Howarth, Panini America Vice President of Marketing. “This is the third year that we’ve had the top 10 finalists submit a video on why they wanted to be the Panini Super Bowl Kid Reporter. We had some great entries this year but Natalie’s really resonated with the judges, including Trent Dilfer.”

Stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for continued coverage of Natalie’s trip to Super Bowl LII.

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