LOCAL RUNNERS SOUGHT TO CARRY OLYMPIC TORCH

While athletes from around the world prepare for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games by building their physical endurance, those who want to be local torchbearers should practice writing.

Local residents can enter the torchbearer competition by completing an application and writing a 100-word essay.

Application forms can be requested by writing the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay; P.O. Box 6621; Maple Plain, Minn. 55593-6621. All entries must be postmarked by Nov. 30 and received by Dec. 8, 1995.

Anyone who is a legal resident of the United States and will be at least 12 years old by April 27, 1996, is eligible to be a community hero.

Although the nominations are sent directly to the Torch Relay Committee, the torchbearers will be chosen by local United Way chapters.

Once received, the forms then will be sorted by ZIP code and mailed to the Area Wide United Way in Cape Girardeau, said a local spokesperson for the chapter.

A panel of judges will determine the local community heroes. A community hero must possess the following characteristics: perform volunteer work, serve as a community leader; and perform acts of kindness and extraordinary accomplishment.

More than 10,000 community heroes from across the United States will carry the torch as it travels 15,000 miles during an 84-day trip.

The torch will be in Cape Girardeau and Jackson during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.