Updated Friday, Feb. 19: The men’s and women’s golf team were the winners of last night’s talent competition, taking home the event’s inaugural title.
Hard work, practice and flair are nothing new for Allegheny athletes, but today’s spectators will be treated to entirely different kinds of entertainment during the college’s first ever All Athlete Talent Show.
Organized by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the fun and friendly competition will take place at 8 p.m. in Shafer Auditorium and will include a variety of dances and skits performed by members of different varsity athletic teams. Although the details of each act are to remain confidential until the night of the show, viewers should expect to see different dances and skits with original choreography as well as some that parody already–existing performances. There will be about 10 acts total, and the show is expected to last about 90 minutes.
SAAC’s special events chair, Laura Hilger, ’11, said the idea for the talent show came from similar events held at Ohio State University and Mercyhurst College, where both shows are popular events.
The judges for the competition will be Dean of Students Joe DiChristina, Head Football Coach Mark Matlak and Assistant Director of the Learning Commons Lynn Zlotkowski. Masters of the ceremony will be Director of Athletics Betsy Mitchell and Assistant Director of Athletics Tony Cipollone.
Performers will be graded on four categories: creativity, team unity, Gator spirit and talent. The team with the highest combined score will be the winner. The most talented team according to the judges will receive a unique “surprise” trophy that will be displayed throughout the year, giving bragging rights to the winning team.
“The goal of the talent show is to help unify athletes and show the college community their more fun off–the–field personalities,” Hilger said.
All the teams have been working on their acts for weeks now, each hoping to take home the inaugural title of the All Athlete Talent Show.
Softball player Maggie Bodenlos, ’10, is just one of many students who has been gearing up for her time on the stage.
“We are a little nervous, but excited for the show and ready to win,” Bodenlos said. “Some of the younger girls have done most of the organizing, but we have had fun practicing.”
For some of the participating athletes who are simultaneously juggling their class schedules and in-season sports, preparation for the event has been difficult.
“It has been tough trying to find times to really work on the act but we will be ready come show time,” said baseball player Aaron Lynch, ’11. “The Wise Center is so busy this time of year.”
SAAC is expecting a positive turnout from people outside the athletic community. Hilger said she hopes the show will someday be comparable to Greek Sing.
Eric Barclay, a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, agreed.
“It will be fun to see athletes deviate from their comfort zones for the sake of entertainment,” said Barclay, ’11.
The All Athlete Talent Show will have no admission charge, but SAAC would potentially like to see the event become a fundraiser, like its Ohio State counterpart, if it becomes a hit event in the future.
