Port Hills girl goes to World Cup soccer final, maybe!

[Update: Well it's not to be for young Rata. We offer our congratulations to Aitken Hawkins of Upper Hutt for winning this wonderful trip. Good luck to him and the All Whites at the World Cup.]

Local thirteen year old Port Hills girl, Rata Ingram, is close to making her dream come true, being the Sony FIFA Flag Bearer at soccer's 2010 World Cup finals. At the thought of it all, she "grinned her head off" for a day. But she needs your help!

Rata was part of a group of more than 100 young soccer fans who entered a competition to carry the FIFA Flag on to the official World Cup pitch as the New Zealand representative at the June All Whites vs Italy game in Nelspruit, South Africa.

Only one entrant can win however, so they all had to get creative and use videos, essays and photos to say why they should be the one to go. Your vote may well make the difference.

Take a look at Rata's video on the TV3 website and vote for her on that page (the poll doesn't always display, so please keep trying) if you think she's the best out of the five great finalists. Help the judges decide, voting closes on Friday, 30 April, with the result announced on Campbell Live that night.

Rata tells us she has been playing for her club – Ferrymead Bays - for four years running. When she joined she discovered all that she was missing – speed, fun, making new friends, right down to the mud on her boots!

"I love the feeling of pride as you or a team member score a goal, save one, or play an awesome move or pass. Most of all, I love that crazy feeling of excitement. When you are sitting on the side line in pouring rain, or racing down the pitch, calling to a team mate for a pass, something clicks and you go: 'Wow!'"