RENFREW— Ethan Turner is in for the trip of his life.

Turner, 12, of Renfrew recently was named one of five winners of the 2008 Arthur Ashe Essay and Art Contest. Ethan and his family spent last weekend in New York City as a result.

The contest entailed writing a 300-word essay responding to the question:How do you exemplify the ideals of Arthur Ashe?

Ashe was the first African-American male to win a grand slam tennis tournament. He was a three-time grand slam champion and died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1993 at age 49.

Ashe was a social activist off the court, becoming involved in social issues, such as racial prejudice, AIDS, apartheid and youth education.

"He was a great person who did a lot of good things with his life,"Turner said. "And he was a good tennis player."

Turner is a member of the Butler Junior Tennis Association, which is affiliated with the National Junior Tennis League. The NJTLruns the nationwide Ashe essay contest.

Turner, who is entering seventh grade at Butler Junior High, was one of five BJTA players to enter the contest and one of 2,500 youngsters from across the country to do so. He won the 11- and 12-year-old age division.

"I looked up stuff about his life, what he did and how he did it,"Turner said. "Then, I compared my life to his."

In his essay, Turner wrote:

"I love books and read most of the time. Like Arthur, I think school is more important than sports. ... Helping others makes me feel good. Whether it is teaching a little boy how to make paper airplanes, landscaping at the school or passing out food to needy families, the feeling is the same. It is like winning the last game of a set!"

Turner's prize was a free trip to New York City for two. His mother Katrina and he used the prize, while his father, Todd Turner, and 14-year-old sister Abbey joining them.

The trip included tickets to see "The Lion King" on Broadway, Kids Day at the U.S. Open tennis tournament Saturday, tickets to a Houston Astros-New York Mets game at Shea Stadium, a luncheon with the mayor of New York City and a boat trip around Manhattan.

Abbey Turner also is a member of the BJTAand is a freshman the Butler High girls tennis team.

"This trip is a big deal for all of us,"Katrina Turner said. "Our kids have never even been on a plane before."

Turner said his favorite tennis players are Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Federer was one of the pros on hand Saturday at Kids Day at the U.S. Open.

"When we were in first or second grade, they (parents) had us try tennis out,"Ethan Turner said. "If we didn't like it, we didn't have to keep playing.

"I love to play. It's fun traveling and meeting kids at other clubs."