Fairfield’s many varsity teams were given the chance to show off their talents in all forms for the eighth annual Student Athlete Talent show this past Saturday, Feb. 3. Hosted by Life@Fairfield, this event gave people a chance to watch their favorite players and teams take part in funny dances and several other fun displays of talent.
Senior Athletic Director Alison Sexton noted that she thinks, “it is a fun event and it not only provides a little team building for the athletic teams, it is a fundraiser for a local group or individual. It brings out a significant part of the student body to have a little fun and cheer on the ‘talent.’”
The first act of the show included such performances as the ‘Lip Sync Battle’ from men’s and women’s tennis, as well as a rendition of “Hard Knock Life” by women’s soccer.
Additionally, the second act featured the first place winner, men’s rowing, who performed to “Look What You Made Me Do.”
The second place winner was a tie between men’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s tennis, with men’s soccer coming in third place.
Men’s soccer, for one, did an homage to the “Full Monty” by taking their shirts off and dancing in a row, which earned them third place in the show.
Junior Liam Dougherty, a player on the men’s soccer team, stated that, “The event was great, it had a good turnout from everyone here. I appreciated all the support from everyone.”
Dougherty went on to add that, “I can’t wait for next year. Rowing won, so congrats to them. We came in third, but hey, next year we’ll come for it.”
Regarding changes to the event, Sexton noted that each year is different in the sense that there are different student-athletes involved with their own respective and unique acts, but the general format of the show remained the same as it was for previous years.
First-year student Brendan Smith, a member of the men’s rowing team, said, “I loved it. It was a great way to bond with the rowing team, it was a great experience. We got to learn an entirely new dance and practice working together.”
As for next year, Smith added that, “I already have ideas of what I want to do next year and the year after.”
In terms of the proceeds from the event, all funds raised will be donated to The Bridgeport School Foundation Field of Dreams Program.
This program, according to Sexton, is “part of the Bridgeport School Foundation and they raise funds to help the athletic programs with needs they have on the athletic side. Their mission talks about supporting Bridgeport public school athletes’ ability to participate and compete with dignity, pride and personal integrity. We are expecting several students from a couple of middle school teams to attend the event.”
Senior Amber Bagdonas said that, “It was great really. I really liked men’s rowing and men’s baseball. It’s really great to see the athletes come together.”
As for why the proceeds of the event are going to this particular charity, Sexton added that there are several student-athletes who have done some mentoring in Bridgeport. These athletes suggested that the organization would see through to some of their needs.
Sexton felt as though the significance of this is that, “Fairfield University has always committed to being good neighbors with Bridgeport.”
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