As part of the national search for a new generation of stars and legends, the legendary Showtime At The Apollo Tour will stop in the Magic City of Birmingham and the Alabama Theater.
The tour will be one of the many activities surrounding ESPN Regional Television's coverage of the Ford's MEAC-SWAC Challenge taking place September 1-3.
Alabama State, champions of the SWAC will on MEAC Co-Champions South Carolina State in a 2:30 p.m. kick-off.
The Apollo talent search will be held on July 30 at the Sheraton Hotel in Birmingham with registration beginning at 9 a.m. at the hotel's Medical Forum, room B. Contestants will receive an approximate audition time as well as contestant number.
Auditions will be a first-come, first-seen basis, and open to amateur performers of all ages. There will be a 1½ minute audition time limit and approximately 12 acts will be selected to participate in a special one-night performance at the Alabama Theater on September 3rd at 8 p.m.
The winner will receive $1,000, round-trip airfare to New York and a guaranteed show at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
Interested participants can call 704-973-5019 or visit
www.fordmeacswacchallenge.com for more information. Apollo Amateur Night - "where stars are born and legends are made"- has launched the careers of so many superstars that it has a legitimate claim to being the most successful star search vehicle in show biz history.
Perhaps the edgiest and most famous amateur artist showcase in the world, Apollo Amateur Night began in 1934, and is celebrated for discovering and launching the careers of legends in the entertainment field, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, James Brown, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, Luther Vandross, D'Angelo, Lauryn Hill and many, many more.
Scott to participate in Junior Olympics
Alcorn State's Shannon Scott has qualified for a spot in the upcoming USA National Junior Olympics as a member of the Performance Sports Flier's Track Club.
The Columbus, Mississippi native placed third in the 800 meter event during the Region VI Junior Olympics in Birmingham earlier this month and seventh in the same event during the SWAC championships in April.
Scott is the second Alcorn State student-athlete to qualify for the Junior Olympics in as many years with Nate Hughes leading the way a year ago earning a trip to College Station, Texas to participate in the 400 meter hurdles.
Over 6,000 athletes are expected to compete July 26-31 in Indianapolis with age divisions as follows: bantam (10 yrs. and under); midget (11-12); youth (13-14), intermediate (15-16) and young men/women (17-18).
The 2005 National Junior Olympics will be hosted at the Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium with four world and eight American track and field records being broken at the venue since 1982.
Conference Offers Internship Opportunities
The Southwestern Athletic Conference has several internship opportunities for advanced journalism/mass communications students attending one of the 10 SWAC member institutions. SWACtacular, a weekly television show featuring SWAC football, is in need of interns to help shoot B-roll, produce segments, write features, and conduct interviews at home football games of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Under the guidance of television industry professionals, participants in the SWACtacular Internship program will work on weekly assignments that will be evaluated by television industry professionals. The best segments and elements each week will be featured on the television program. Successful students will gain valuable experience and have tangible material at the end of the semester to compose a resume reel.
Questions concerning the internship program should be directed to Markesha McWilliams, Assistant Commissioner at m.mcwilliams@swac.org.
Smith Resigns as Volleyball Coach
Alcorn State University head volleyball coach Stephanie Smith officially resigned from her position last week to take over as the head volleyball coach and assistant track & field coach of Dunbar High School in Fort Worth, Texas.
Hired in July of 2004, Smith took over for former teammate and coach Millicent Sylvan, and led the Lady Braves to a 6-16 overall mark in 2004 and fourth place finish in the Eastern Division.
A 2003 graduate of Alcorn she was a four-year letter winner in track and field as well as volleyball.
About the Author:
Mac Taylor is a sports reporter for the Mobile Register in Mobile, Ala., and a regular contributor to AOL Black Voices. Her Around the SWAC column appears every Friday.
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Friday, July 22nd 2005 at 10:24PM
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