Shields fifth-grader wins trip to Kid's Choice Awards

Beating out more than 100,000 other hopefuls, Shields fifth-grader Madison Metcalfe said she couldn't believe her luck when she found out she won a trip to Hollywood for the family.

When she wanted to enter a Nickelodeon contest to walk the orange carpet with Victoria Justice, Madison said, she had to plead with her mom, who thought it might be a marketing scam.

"I asked my mom if I could enter, and actually I begged to enter," she said. "She said no, that's going to cause more junk mail, but it really didn't."

Metcalfe's mother, Celeste Metcalfe recalled her original response.  "I said 'No, you're not going to win that!'" Celeste said.

The student entered the contest only once, so Madison said she was shocked when she got an email that she was among the potential winners. She had friends who had entered as many as 16 times.

When Celeste called back as the message indicated, Celeste said she was thrilled to find out her daughter had just been chosen as the big winner.

Nickelodeon provided flights for Madison and three family members, Celeste said, but the family paid for an additional flight and accommodations so the whole family could attend, including Madison's father and two younger sisters, Emma and Gabby.

With only the Kid's Choice Awards on the required itinerary, Celeste said the family was provided with $1,000 spending money and passes to Universal Studios, but they made time for trips to Disneyland while they were in Los Angeles.

Madison said her time in the limelight with celebrities on the orange carpet was eye-opening and fun, hanging out with Power Rangers and getting teased by Jerry Trainor were some of her favorite parts.

"It was very flashy at night, and there were a lot of lights, it was very fun," she said.

Madison said Victoria Justice was very nice, and she stayed slime-free at the event. The experience made her the envy of many of her classmates at Shields Elementary School, she said.

"All the girls are saying 'I want to be your sister,' and the boys were asking about Victoria Justice," she said.

The Kid's Choice Awards aired Saturday, March 31, on Nickelodeon.