♪ "teen kids news" is on now, and here's what we've got. i'll introduce you to a teen who used video games to lose weight. ride with me as i hit the skids to learn how to handle a scary situation. coming up, i'll take you to the incredible mansions of newport, rhode island. who's your hero? i'll have teens' answers. >> and much more, next on "teen

kids news." ♪ welcome to "teen kids news." i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm jessica. here's our top story for this week. obesity is an epidemic in our country. since 1980, the number of overweight teens in the u.s. has tripled. that's a scary thought considering carrying that extra weight now can lead to health problems in the future. amanda introduces us to a teen who worked to turn his life around. >> reporter: looking at taylor lebaron now, you'd never guess that when he was 14, he weighed almost 300 pounds. >> it was already a struggle for me to walk down my driveway to get the mail and walk back up.

>> reporter: taylor wore a size triple-extra-large shirt and size 44 pants. >> i was upset. i was sad that it had gotten that way, i was embarrassed. i was also angry at myself. how could you let yourself do this? but i realized that it was no one else's fault but my own because i made the decisions to eat. i always had healthy options in front of me, but i always flipped them out. i preferred the more unhealthy lifestyle. >> reporter: taylor knew he had to make a change. >> the most pivotal moment for me, realizing that i've got to do something to take control of my health, is when -- was when i hopped on a scale and the numbers flew up to 297, and i was 14 years old at that time. >> reporter: so he created a unique way to shed the pounds. he thought of losing weight like a video game. >> when it comes to a game, i'm used to remembering the rules and knowing that i'm playing

this controller here, there's all different combinations and combos i can do. so i'm used to the complexity of it, of the elements that go into a game. >> reporter: to understand how to count calories and keep track of what he was eating, taylor devised his own ultimate fitness game. the player encounters obstacles throughout the day. the reward -- a healthy lifestyle. >> the basic rules are that you are going to be able -- you're going to be faced with decisions. for instance, you go to your friend's birthday party. it's cake time. the cake is very nice, has lots of icing, and it's even your favorite type, but there's also some fruit, and you're going to be faced with the option -- all right, do i want to go with everyone else and have this piece of birthday cake that who knows how many calories are in it, who knows, or do i want to go with a banana? >> reporter: but making smart food choices is only part of the game. you have to get exercise too.

>> when i first started going to the ymca, i was very embarrassed because i saw all these in-shape people running down that treadmill and i knew i can't run on a treadmill, i cannot travel that fast. i'd get on that treadmill and walk because that was the best i could do at the time. >> reporter: so taylor began to think of his workouts as different "levels" within his weight loss game. >> there's always a new level. you can always up your resistance, you can always go longer, you can always do more repetitions. >> reporter: the game helped him lose 150 pounds in a year and a half, and he's kept the weight off. now he wants to inspire other teens to get healthy. >> after i finished losing my weight, i realized what a difference it is for me to be able to finally be that person i always was inside and now to be that same person outside and so energetic. it's like there are so many other people out there who are

struggling with their weight. why not write a book and be able to help them? because i know i was miserable. >> reporter: and teens aren't the only ones getting the message. >> taylor has inspired my family to get healthy. i myself have gone from a size 24 to a 16. i am on my way hopefully to a final size of 10. >> his dedication to getting fit even earned him a role as a teen torchbearer in the 2010 winter olympics in vancouver. >> i'm just thrilled and shocked that me, just a regular 17-year-old guy from georgia, was selected to carry the torch. >> reporter: here are some of taylor's tips to help you get in shape. >> with today's technology, everyone has -- almost everyone has a cell phone now. and with that phone comes mobile web. you can easily go to websites with your phone on the fly to check out menus and caloric intakes for fast food restaurants, even sit-down restaurants.

>> reporter: you should also look for ways to swap fatty foods for healthier ones when you can. >> for me, instead of grabbing chips if i'm going to settle down and watch a tv show, i run out to the fridge and i grab an individual little thing of carrots. no dip, no sauce, just plain carrots. >> reporter: taylor says he wants all teens to realize they can achieve their goals. that's why there's one very important rule to the ultimate fitness game. >> you cannot give up if you make an error because sometimes slip-ups do happen and you can't beat yourself up over it. >> reporter: here's one more tip -- switch up your exercise routine. that way, you won't get bored. just don't forget to consult your doctor first so you don't hurt yourself. >> stay with us. there's lots more still to come on "teen kids news." >> we'll be right back. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little or no cost to you. imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your

mobility and your life. one medicare benefit that, with private insurance, may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full. the scooter store. hi i'm doug harrison. we're experts at getting you the power chair or scooter you need. in fact, if we qualify you for medicare reimbursement and medicare denies your claim, we'll give you your new power chair or scooter free. i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. with help from the scooter store, medicare and my insurance covered it all. call the scooter store for free information today. this report is brought to you with the help of ford. these teens are here for

ford's driving skills for life program. saving lives state by state, including here in illinois. >> over a three-year period, ford and the state have managed to reduce teen deaths by 50%, and in one county down in central illinois, taswell county, they had lost 15 teens in one year. they haven't had a death in three years. so the program does work, and we're very proud of that. >> reporter: one of the things ford's driving skills for life teaches is how to react in an emergency, before you find yourself in an emergency. a big open parking lot and expert instruction give teens a chance to experience a dangerous skid and find out how to handle it. what did you learn today that you didn't know before? >> to keep your eyes on where you want to go, and then you'll go there, instead of like looking at something else, because that's where your body's going to make you go. >> reporter: to show you what he means, let's take a ride on the wild side -- in this red mustang. >> get yourself comfortable, tyler, seatbelt on.

>> reporter: todd, the instructor, has a background in racing, where control is the key to survival. >> start making u-turns around the center five cones for me. okay? think nascar. you're going to take the high route. the high line. okay? so don't hug the inside. i want you to go all the way out use the yellow line as a reference. don't turn the wheel until you get to the first cone. look to the right, look at your first cone. look up to your second cone, aim to the second cone -- okay, bring it around again, look up to the second cone. bring it back. okay, now give me a little bit more of a pause when you finally get the front tire straight. what happens is oftentimes we see with younger drivers is they save the skid but then what do they do? they go immediately right back to the brake pedal again, they saved the spin in the middle of the road and then they suddenly drove into the ditch. >> reporter: so what's really the main -- what are the main things you want kids to learn when they're doing this exercise? >> the main thing we're looking for, tyler, is to get the kids accustomed to the hand-eye coordination, you're going to learn really fast that the hands are going to steer where the eyes are looking. as long as you're looking ahead all the time it's going to come natural that the hands are going to start following the eyes. >> reporter: as we go through the course again, todd says another key to handling a skid is knowing when to start steering out of it.

>> if you wait until the tires are squealing we're already sideways. okay. so you've got to get that sensory going. there you go. that's what we're looking for. straight ahead. lots of times everybody waits until they hear the tires squeal and they think okay, now i'm ready to correct, but if you wait until the tire's sideways it will be harder to correct. >> reporter: so what kind of accidents will this help prevent? >> i can't guarantee you that this will prevent you from getting into an accident, but what i can say is -- i think i'm comfortable in saying that this is going to help you not become the second part of the accident. okay? there's no guarantee that this is going to avoid something happening in the middle of the road, but it's going to give you the confidence, so that if there is something that causes you to have to take control of the car that you don't become the next accident in the middle of the road by not getting out of a bad situation. >> reporter: needless to say, this is not something you should try on your own, but you can find information about this course through the link at teenkidsnews.com. todd says teens who have been through the program report the skills do indeed work. >> car control has really helped them in a bad situation, and that's always good to hear. >> nice job, man. pleasure meeting you.

>> reporter: i'll be back on the road with more advice from the experts in future reports. for "teen kids news," i'm tyler.

ladies and gentlemen -- your long island lizards! ♪ >> reporter: it's a sport that's filled with -- and -- and it's a sport where you get to "check" your opponents during the game. now, i don't mean "check them out." in this sport "checking" someone means trying to stop them in their tracks. native americans first developed this sport in the 1600s. the french later named it lacroix, meaning "hooked stick." today, we know it as lacrosse. we spent an afternoon with the world champion long island lizards of new york. we also got to spend some time

with their sponsored under-15 youth team, the junior lizards. and we were amazed at just how popular this sport is becoming. >> lacrosse is getting better and better. the skill level, you know, the amount of people playing, and you know, we got high schools in california, georgia, texas. it's getting big. >> i got it, i got it! >> the sport is growing all over at the high school level incredibly. we had a tryout practice back in january, believe it or not, and 120 kids tried out for 30 spots. >> it's the fastest growing youth sport in the country. and more kids go to college from long island in lacrosse, at a 2-1 ratio than any other sport. >> reporter: in fact, college scouts from all over the country were at this weekend-long event. they're looking for america's next top players, and they take this sport very seriously. what got you interested in lacrosse? >> i've played my whole life. ever since i was a little guy like him, i started. my older brother got me going, and from there i just couldn't put it down. couldn't let it go. you need a lot of endurance. you need to be in shape for a long time, something that i'm still trying to work on myself. on a hot day like today, the more endurance you have, the

bet your you're going to do. >> reporter: by the way, lacrosse is not just for guys. women have been playing it since the late 1800s, and it's becoming increasingly popular with them as well. so if you're looking for some fast-paced action in a rapidly growing sport you can "stick" with while achieving your "goals," lacrosse may be the game for you. ouch! that hurt. i think i'll stick to tennis. i'm kristen for "teen kids news." is your radio collecting dust in a corner? does your mp3 player recycle the same boring songs over and over? then you'll definitely want to listen to this week's "click this." pandora.com is an online radio station that takes your music to the next level. think of it as your own personal jukebox. after you register online, all you do is pick a song or artist that you love. pandora will do the rest.

they'll create a playlist just for you including the music you chose along with more of the same genre. you can listen to all of your favorites and even spice up your music collection, all without spending a dime.

this report is brought to you by the got milk campaign. >> welcome to my milk shoot! >> reporter: the latest celebrity to sport a mustache for milk is victoria justice, the star of nickelodeon's "victorious." >> i think it's the coolest thing in the entire world. i mean, it's such a legendary campaign. >> reporter: legendary indeed. "got milk" is celebrating its 15th birthday. in victoria's latina culture, turning 15 is a special celebration, called a quinceanera. >> you look fabulous. >> you look great. >> thank you. >> the ad is a picture of me holding a microphone with a mic stand and the line is "look good, feel victorious," which is obviously a nod to my show, but

it's true, because milk is so good for your body. so i was just really excited. >> reporter: well, i was excited to talk with victoria in person and find out how it feels to headline a hit tv show at the age of 17. what's your typical day like? >> we'll rehearse all day monday and tuesday, and then wednesday, thursday, friday shoot as many scenes as possible, and then just do that over and over and over again. >> reporter: being busy and on the road a lot, how do you make healthy choices? >> that can be hard sometimes, especially when you're on set and they have enchiladas and all these fattening foods. i've learned to not -- just don't eat just to eat. i try to eat like small meals throughout the day that are healthy and good for me, so i think that's a good way to stay healthy. >> very good tip. ♪ the situation turned around >> reporter: on her tv show, victoria makes the transition from comedy to music without missing a beat. soon you'll see another side of her in the new movie "the boy who cried werewolf."

>> it's an adventure, and it has action in it, and it has kind of like a sci-fi twist, and it's a little scary at some parts. it's a really cool movie. i'm really proud of it. >> reporter: and she's proud to talk about how low-fat milk can help all of us be healthier. what message do you want to get across to teens? >> the message that i want to get across to teens is that you should just feel good about yourself. >> reporter: victoria is adding power to that message by participating in a united nations program to help adolescent girls worldwide. to find out more about victoria and how low-fat milk can help you look and feel great, go to bodybymilk.com. and check out the chance to win a quinceanera party of your own. >> got milk? all right, young america, what's your opinion? we'll find out in "speak of the week." >> reporter: when you think of heroes, you may think of someone

with super strength and fantastical powers. but heroes come in all shapes and sizes. so tell us, who's your hero? >> well, i guess i'd have to say my parents, because, i mean, come on, they raised me and everything, and i mean they're just really good role models, and it's a good thing to have someone to look up to like that. >> my hero is my parents. >> my hero is my dad because he inspires me. >> i'd probably say my mom was my hero because she is able to do a lot of things, she's a single mom, so she is able to do a lot of things for me and for my siblings as well. >> my hero is my mom and dad, cause they've been telling me my whole life what to do and to not talk to strangers and all that. >> reporter: sometimes the most influential heroes are the ones closest to your heart, your parents. for teen kids news, i'm sam.

four years ago i went through something that was very difficult for me. i was faced with a very big challenge at a young age. i didn't want to tell my parents, i really didn't want to tell anybody and i didn't. i shut down. once i reached out to my sister, it got a little better. once i told my mother, it got a little better. the more i talked about it, i felt it coming off. if you're strong enough to just open your mouth, that's all it takes. hi, i'm terrie williams. can i tell you that it is way past time for us to come face to face with the issue of mental illness in the black community. time for us to stop hiding it behind closed doors.

classroom. this report is brought to

you by dreamworks animation. >> yeah! amazing! >> reporter: this weekend, the magic of "how to train your dragon" is flying into homes. in the land of berk, dragons are a menace. at least that's what the vikings think. >> oh, wow. i did it. oh, i did it! this fixes everything! yes! i have brought down this mighty beast. >> the viking philosophy towards dragons is that they're just the bane of our existence, and rightly so, they do kind of ruin the vikings' days all the time. >> reporter: but that line of thinking begins to change when hiccup, a young viking, befriends a dragon he names "toothless." >> you want to keep a pet dragon? are you serious? >> i have a plan. we can save them. >> reporter: together the pair embark on an incredible journey to save the viking village and the dragon world. >> everything we know about you guys is wrong. >> reporter: "how to train your dragon" is rated pg and available in a special dragon

double pack, which includes a new animated adventure, "the legend of the boneknapper dragon," featuring the original voice talent. for "teen kids news," i'm troy. feeling grumpy might be good for you. at least that's what one researcher says. he found gloomy people tend to think more carefully. they make fewer mistakes than cheerful folks. on the other hand, the research found happy people are more creative and they tend to live longer. during the 1990's there was an economic boom, and grand new houses were built for the newly rich. but as nicole tells us, that happened in the 1890s as well, on the shores of the atlantic ocean in rhode island. >> reporter: when you see the grand estates of newport, it's hard to imagine that the area has rather modest beginnings. in 1639 it was settled by english refugees fleeing religious persecution in massachusetts. over the years quakers, catholics and jews, among

others, found safe haven here. in fact, newport is home to america's oldest jewish synagogue. in more modern times, it was here at st. mary's that john f. kennedy and wife jackie tied the knot. where yachts and sailboats now crowd the docks, in the 1700s this was a major seaport for sailing ships from around the world. one of the signers of the declaration of independence hailed from newport -- william ellery. during the american revolution, the british occupied the town for three years. after the british left newport, it became the base for french troops sent to aid the colonies. under general rochambeau 5,000 french soldiers marched to join george washington at yorktown. this painting shows the british surrender that ended the revolution. the americans are on the right, and the french on the left. in the early 1800s, southern plantation owners came north to newport to build grand summer

homes. not to be outdone, wealthy yankees began to build even bigger homes. that set off a race between the richest families in america to try and outbuild one another. they hired the most famous architects of the day and had them design palatial estates. this was the gilded age, the time of the titans who industrialized america. with almost limitless resources, they built on a scale that would have humbled even european royalty. and with pretended indifference, they casually referred to their massive mansions simply as "cottages." marble house was commissioned by one of the famous vanderbilts. he gave it to his wife as a birthday present. another vanderbilt built an even bigger "cottage," "the breakers." entire rooms were built in europe, then shipped and re-assembled here. this is the elms. it was one of first houses in newport to showcase a new invention -- electricity.

rosecliff was inspired by the grand trianon on the palace grounds of versailles in paris. rosecliff has been the setting for a number of movies, including "27 dresses." the mansion is also often rented for parties and weddings. not a bad place for a high school prom. amazingly, all this splendor was only enjoyed for a few months each year. during what was called by the super rich "the social season." in all, 11 properties have been acquired by the preservation society of newport county. the society is dedicated to preserving this rich heritage and offers fascinating guided tours. for more information, visit our website, teenkidsnews.com. in newport, rhode island, for "teen kids news" i'm nicole. that wraps up our show, but we'll be back with more "teen kids news." >> thanks for joining us, and have a great week.

♪ ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> write to us at info@teenkidsnews.com. >> on behalf of everyone here at "teen kids news," we want to give a special thanks to all of our military overseas. 

announcer: when you earn your ged diploma, the barriers in your life fall. take the first step and get free ged information in your area at 1-877-38-your-ged, or yourged.org. earn your ged diploma and begin your brighter future. ale announcer] throughout the country, kids are getting involved in their communities by volunteering.