by Mark D. Weinstein, Executive Director of Public Relations
The event is part of Cedarville's focus on elementary education within the Miami Valley. The contest will also be covered live on the G-MAC Digital Network.
“We have been looking forward to this opportunity to promote the importance of education with the elementary and middle school students in the greater Dayton region," said Addy Miller, Cedarville's women's basketball coach. “Many of these young students will never have the opportunity to attend a women’s college basketball game, so having them at Cedarville is a great way to introduce them to college sports and our focus at Cedarville.”
Each student in attendance will receive an education packet. The packets include a voucher to a future Yellow Jacket game, an activity book, and a glow stick that can be used during a special halftime light show. The Troy, Ohio Pop Rocks jump rope team will provide halftime entertainment.
“This game joins our Yellow Jacket Virtual Reading Program, which is disseminated to 52 classrooms throughout 15 elementary schools, as another community engagement piece that is a priority for the athletic department,” said Alyssa Beals, director of athletic marketing and sponsorships.
The Troy Pop Rocks were formed in 2009 by Troy City Schools physical education teacher Josh Oakes. The Pop Rocks were truly the idea of students. During a unit on jump rope in gym class, Mr. Oakes showed a video clip showing advanced jump rope routines. The children in his class were inspired by what they saw and asked if they could form a jump rope team at the school. After making this request several times, their persistence paid off and Mr. Oakes did create a team that offered students the chance to jump for fitness and fun after school.
The evolution from a fitness/social activity to a performance team took place over the course of several years. The demands of a performance team are extremely high. It requires a high level of skill, a routine of hundreds of steps choreographed to music and a lot of practice to get it down.
The team, which includes students in grades 3-8, is a traveling performance team. They have performed in various venues, including at Duke University, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue University, the University of Louisville, the University of Dayton, and Penn State University. They've also performed with the Harlem Globetrotters.
As far as the game itself, it will be the 41st meeting between the two schools who were both perennial powers in the old NAIA American Mideast Conference.
However, with Cedarville moving to NCAA Division II it will be the first time the Jackets have played the Bears in 15 seasons.