Laker Student-Athletes Preform in Talent Show to Benefit Make A Wish Foundation
LSSU’s fourth annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Talent Show, which is at 7 p.m. Sunday at Bud Cooper Gymnasium, takes them far out of their comfort zone. But the Lakers enjoy the camaraderie and doing their part for the Make A Wish Foundation.
“It’s a great event that brings us all together,” said LSSU SAAC president Emily Joseph, who is a senior on the women’s basketball team. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but it’s fun and for something good.”
This year’s talent show is open to the public. Tickets are $3 with all proceeds going to the Make A Wish Foundation, which has been the nation-wide benefactor of student-athlete advisory committees from Division II schools throughout the NCAA since 2003.
Last year, LSSU raised more than $1,000 for the Make A Wish Foundation. Cooper Gym was decorated in blue and stars, which is the Make A Wish theme.
“We’re all apprehensive about going up on stage and making fools of ourselves,” said LSSU junior volleyball player Jeanna Radzinksi, the SAAC vice-president. “Planning our own performances is nerve-wracking, but everyone loves it and is cracking up. Last year we got more support than ever.”
“Everyone is competitive and wants to win,” Joseph added.
All of LSSU’s 15 varsity teams perform a skit and are rated by judges. Spectators also have a say in voting by buying tickets and putting them in a box designated for the team they want to win. Athletes will be selling Make A Wish Foundation bracelets for $1, and anyone who purchases one will also get an extra vote.
“All of the schools in the GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) put on a fund-raiser for Make A Wish,” Radzinski said. “We saw what other schools have done. Ours is a bit more unique and a lot of fun. We’re the fourth smallest school in the GLIAC, but ranked in the top five in contributions last year.”
The LSSU SAAC participates in several community service projects throughout the year, including fund-raising to sponsor Christmas for local needy families, calling Bingo at War Memorial Hospital’s Long-Term Care unit and reading to local elementary students. SAAC member efforts have enhanced the unique bond shared by LSSU athletes.
“(Support throughout the program) is one of the things I’ve liked most about my career here,” Joseph said. “From hockey to basketball to softball – we love to support each other. There’s not a lot of outside student support, so we have to support each other.”
