Survivor winner made us proud

Much will be made of Cedar Rapidian Denise Stapley winning the million-dollar prize on “Survivor: Philippines,” but the best part of all is not the win itself, but how she got there.

As a longtime fan of the show, I don't watch for the bikini-clad contests or the feats of strength and endurance as much as for the way we get to see real people interacting with each other in a way that lets us learn a lot about them and how they must really be as regular people in their daily lives.

Here's what we learned about Stapley: She's smart and she works hard. She listens well and cares about others. She's very strong and yet she's sensitive.

She did herself proud in an arena that's designed to bring out the worst in people. Iowa and Cedar Rapids can be proud that she did a great job in being a representative for us. She made us proud of her all the way through the game. She is clearly a winner in every way.

Mike Wyrick

Cedar Rapids