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Ep187: Rory Mcllory · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Open wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts yours.
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  Welcome to Kick Ass Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today we're going to learn about someone who is really good at a
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  sport that uses a small ball, a long stick called a club, and
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  lots of green grass. We're talking about Rory
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  McIlroy, one of the best golfers in the world.
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  Whether you know a lot about golf or just a little, you'll
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  find out some cool things about Rory and his journey.
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  So grab your favorite snack, get comfy, and get ready to learn
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  about this amazing athlete. Let's start with the basics, who
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  is Rory McIlroy? Rory McIlroy is a professional
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  golfer from Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is a part of
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  the United Kingdom and is known for its beautiful green hills
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  and castles. Rory was born on May 4th, 1989
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  in a town called Hollywood. That's right, Hollywood, not
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  Hollywood like in California. Rory grew up in a regular house
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  with his mom and dad. His dad, Jerry, worked different
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  jobs including being a bartender and a golfer himself.
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  His mom, Rosie, worked long hours at a factory to help
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  support Rory's dream. When Rory was just a little kid,
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  he loved playing golf. His dad, Jerry, taught him how
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  to swing a Golf Club when he was only two years old.
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  That's as young as some kids in preschool.
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  By the time Rory was seven, he was already winning golf
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  tournaments for kids his age. Imagine winning a trophy before
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  you even start 3rd grade. Now you might be wondering what
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  exactly is golf? Golf is a sport where players
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  use clubs to hit a small ball into a series of holes on a
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  course using as few strokes as possible.
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  A golf course usually has eighteen holes and each hole has
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  a starting point called AT and an ending point called the green
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  where the hole is located. The goal is to get the ball into
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  the hole in the lowest number of hits.
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  Golf takes a lot of patience, practice and focus.
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  Rory loved golf so much that he practiced almost everyday, rain
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  or shine. He would spend hours on the golf
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  course working on his swing, his putting, and his aim.
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  Sometimes he even practiced in his backyard.
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  His parents saw how much he loved golf, so they worked hard
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  so he could travel to tournaments and get the best
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  equipment. Did you know that Rory could hit
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  a golf ball over 40 yards when he was just two years old?
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  That's almost half a football field.
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  As he grew older, his skills got even better and he started
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  winning more and more competitions.
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  When Rory was 15 years old, he played in the Walker Cup, which
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  is a big tournament for amateur golfers from Ireland and England
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  against golfers from the United States.
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  Competing in the Walker Cup is a big deal because it means you
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  are one of the best young golfers in your country.
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  After a successful amateur career, Rory decided to become a
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  professional golfer in 2007 when he was only 18 years old.
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  That means he started playing golf for a living against the
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  best players in the world. Turning professional is a big
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  step because it means you have to compete against adults who
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  have been playing for many years.
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  Rory quickly made a name for himself.
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  He became famous for his powerful swing and his calm
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  attitude on the course. In 2011, something amazing
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  happened. Rory won his first major
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  tournament called the US Open. A major is one of the four most
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  important golf tournaments in the world.
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  The US Open is played in the United States, and winning it is
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  one of the highest honors in golf.
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  Not only did Rory win the US Open, but he also set a
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  tournament record by finishing sixteen shots under par.
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  In golf, par is the number of strokes an expert golfer is
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  expected to need to finish a hole or a tournament.
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  Finishing sixteen shots under par means Rory played much
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  better than expected. That made him famous all over
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  the world. After that, Rory went on to win
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  more major tournaments. He won the PGA Championship in
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  2012, the Open Championship in 2014, and the PGA Championship
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  again in 2014. That means by the age of 25,
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  Rory had already won four major championships.
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  Only a few golfers in history have ever done that.
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  Did you know that Rory is one of only three golfers to win 4
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  majors by the age of 25? The other two are Tiger Woods
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  and Jack Nicklaus, who are also very famous golfers.
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  This shows just how special Rory's achievements are.
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  Rory isn't just known for winning, he's also famous for
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  how far he can hit the golf ball.
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  In golf, there's a term called driving distance.
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  This is how far a player can hit the ball from the tee with their
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  first shot. Rory's average driving distance
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  is over 320 yards. That's longer than three soccer
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  fields placed end to end. Rory has played in golf
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  tournaments all over the world. He has traveled to places like
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  the United States, Australia, China, and the United Arab
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  Emirates. He has seen many different golf
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  courses and met lots of fans from different countries.
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  Rory says that meeting fans is one of his favorite parts of
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  being a golfer. But even though Rory is a
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  superstar, he still remembers where he came from.
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  He often visits his hometown in Northern Ireland and helps out
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  with local charities. He started the Rory Foundation,
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  a charity that helps children and families in need.
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  Rory believes that giving back is just as important as winning
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  trophies. Let's talk a little more about
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  golf and why it's such a challenging sport.
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  In golf, you have to be very focused because even a tiny
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  mistake can make a big difference.
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  The weather can also change how you play.
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  If it's windy or rainy, hitting the balls straight becomes much
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  harder. Golfers like Rory have to learn
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  how to play in all kinds of weather.
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  Another thing that makes golf interesting is the different
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  types of clubs. There are drivers, irons, wedges
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  and putters. Each club is used for a
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  different type of shot. For example, the driver helps
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  you hit the ball really far, while the putter is used to
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  gently roll the ball into the hole.
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  Rory is known for being great with all kinds of clubs, but
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  especially with his driver and his putter.
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  Golfers also need to walk a lot. A typical golf course is about
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  four miles long, and a round of golf can take four or five
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  hours. That's like walking all the way
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  across a big City Park several times.
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  Rory keeps fit by exercising and eating healthy foods.
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  He says that staying in good shape helps him play better and
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  feel better. Did you know that Rory has won
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  more than 20 tournaments on the PGA Tour and the European Tour
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  combined? The PGA Tour is a group of
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  tournaments mostly in the United States, and the European Tour is
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  mostly in Europe. Winning on both tours shows that
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  Rory can play well anywhere in the world.
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  Rory has also played in the Ryder Cup, which is a special
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  team event where golfers from Europe compete against golfers
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  from the United States. The Ryder Cup happens every two
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  years and is one of the most exciting events in golf.
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  Rory has helped Team Europe win several times, and he always
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  brings lots of energy and excitement to the team.
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  Sometimes golf can be really tough, and even the best players
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  have bad days. Rory has talked about times when
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  he didn't play as well as he wanted, but he always keeps
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  trying and works hard to get better.
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  He says that making mistakes is part of learning and that you
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  should never give up on your dreams.
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  Rory has also inspired many young golfers around the world.
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  Lots of kids look up to him because he shows that with hard
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  work, practice and a positive attitude, you can achieve great
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  things. Rory often gives advice to young
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  players, telling them to have fun, practice often and believe
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  in themselves. Did you know that Rory loves
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  other sports too? He enjoys playing soccer,
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  watching rugby and spending time outdoors.
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  He also likes reading and learning new things.
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  Rory believes that having hobbies outside of golf helps
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  him relax and stay happy. Rory is married to Erica Stoll
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  and they have a daughter named Poppy.
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  Rory says that spending time with his family is very
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  important to him. Even though he travels a lot for
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  golf tournaments, he always tries to be at home for special
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  family moments. Let's recap what we've learned
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  today about Rory McIlroy. Rory is a professional golfer
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  from Northern Ireland who started playing golf at a very
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  young age. With lots of hard work and
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  practice, he became one of the best golfers in the world.
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  He has won four major championships and many other
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  tournaments. Rory is known for his powerful
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  swing, his kindness to fans, and his work with charity.
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  He has played golf all over the world and helped his team win
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  the Ryder Cup. Even when things are tough, Rory
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  keeps trying and never gives up. He inspires kids everywhere to
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  follow their dreams. Thanks for joining us on Kick
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  Ass Daily. We hope you had fun learning
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  about Rory McIlroy and the world of golf.
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  Remember, whether you're playing sports, learning in school, or
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  trying something new, practice and a positive attitude can help
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  you reach your goals. TuneIn next time for more
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  awesome stories, fun facts, and cool news just for kids like
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  you. See you soon.
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  Grab your breakfast feelings fine adventures waiting.