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Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005
WINTER SPORTS MOVING TO 'PRIME TIME'
Thursday's extravaganza official kick-off to season
By Lindsay Shafer
Sports Information Office
This Thursday evening at 8 p.m., the winter sports programs will be hosting its annual Primetime Madness.” The event will be held in the Sports Center and open to all fans. This year, the event will spotlight the men’s and women’s basketball teams, as well as the men’s and women’s track and field and women’s swimming teams.
The doors to the event will open at 7:30 p.m and there is no admission charge.
There will be three contests for fans in which to participate. A track and field dizzy bat race, swimming relay, and hoop-shooting contest will be the highlights of the night. Winners will be awarded T-shirts.
In addition to the contests, performances will include the Eastern Repertory Dance Troop, the Eastern dance team, the Umosa Dancers, and the Eastern cheerleaders.
This year’s Primetime Madness will be sponsored by the Athletic Department. Eric O’Toole and David Walberg will emcee the event. Janice Patry, Coordinator of Athletic Administration and advisor for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), organized Primetime Madness with the help of SAAC. The Eastern Athletic Department is the sole sponsor of the event this year.
Bill Geitner, the men’s head basketball coach, says the event: “is a tremendous, tremendous event. It promotes school spirit and brings the campus faculty, staff, and students together.”
More than ten years ago, Primetime Madness began as an event coordinated by the Housing Office. The athletic department is now responsible for the planning and organizing. Beginning last year, the event was amended to incorporate all winter sports.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams will open their seasons Friday by hosting their annual tip-off tournament. The men meet Mitchell College Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The women open up Saturday against the City College of New York City at 5:30 p.m. The weekend has been designated as the President’s Charity Game, with all proceeds going to the Hurricane Relief Fund. A donation is the only admission charge during the weekend.
The women’s swim team opened the season Oct. 29 by winning the Saint Joseph College Pentathlon. Since then, it is 1-1 in dual meets. It will host Saint Joseph and Salem State. Saturday morning at 11 a.m.
The men and women’s track and field teams will kick off their indoor season Dec. 3 at the Wesleyan University Cardinal Relays in Middletown.
