Junior Tracy Mare had never thought much of the giveaways and contests promoted through Facebook, which is why when she randomly entered the “Sporty like Me Sweepstakes” on Victoria Azarenka’s Facebook page in October, she never gave it a second thought.
Four months later she remembered when a Canadian telephone number called to tell her she had won the sweepstakes. According to Tracy Mare, when she first answered the phone she pretended to be her sister because she thought the call was from a telemarketer. However, after speaking with the woman on the other line and finding out that she had truly won the sweepstakes, Mare called the woman back as herself and claimed her prize.
Tracy Mare’s prize was sponsored by SixStar Pro Nutrition and included a three-night all expenses included round trip to NYC with one guest, $250 of supplements from Pro Nutrition, $500 in cash, a $2,500 shopping spree for any sports related items and the chance to meet professional women’s tennis star Azarenka.
Tracy Mare chose her brother, sophomore Michael Mare, to accompany her on the trip as part of a birthday present to him and because he liked tennis.
“At first I didn’t believe her,” Michael Mare said. “But I was really excited when she told me. It was really cool of her to take me. She actually texted me and was like ‘Michael guess what, I’m taking you on the trip.”‘
After meeting with their agent Sarah McCarney Sunday morning, the group went shopping at Masons Tennis Mart and Sports Authority where Tracy Mare had $2,500 to spend. McCarney then took them to Nike Town where Tracy Mare was able to meet and shop with her favorite player, Victoria Azarenka, also known as Vika. It was not until the Mares were at Nike Town that they realized there was even more in store for them.
“When we got to the Nike store to meet Vika, we got another surprise,” Tracy Mare said. “Stefan Gordy (RedFoo from LMFAO), Azarenka’s boyfriend, was there too. It was so cool to meet them. Our agent started to take some pictures for us and people started to notice. Within 30 seconds we had a whole crowd around taking pictures of us. Vika shopped mostly with me, and RedFoo shopped with Michael. They thought it was really cool we went to Harding and asked about our tennis team.”
Tracy Mare said she spent the money on new tennis gear and apparel as well as items for her family and former tennis coach.
“My favorite part was getting to go to the exhibition match and watch all the players play up close,” Michael Mare said. “It was awesome to see how much faster the ball goes in real life than it does on TV.”
As a bonus for Tracy Mare, Azarenka’s agent, Meilen Tu, gave the Mare family VIP tailgating passes and second row seats to the BNP Paribas Showdown in Madison Square Garden on Monday night. The exhibition games, which aired on Tennis Night in America, featured Azarenka, Serena Williams, Juan Martin Del Porto and Rafael Nadal.
“Michael and I both got Serena Williams’ autograph,” Tracy Mare said. “He’s a huge Serena fan so he was really excited about that. It’s a cool feeling to know you’ve gotten an autograph from one of the greatest players of all time, especially a legend like Serena.”
The Mares returned from their trip March 5.
“I’m really glad I entered this contest and I’m so blessed to have won,” Tracy Mare said.
