Girls Night Out, and Loads of Fun

The Rams appearing live on ESPN.
Photos by Vincent Dusovic.

The Rose Hill gymnasium was teeming with athletes of all ages on March 17 as the Rams hosted an ESPN NCAA Selection Watch party for Fordham’s women’s basketball A-10 championship team.

Not only was the Fordham community invited to attend; also on hand were several metropolitan-area Catholic Youth Organization girl’s basketball teams, invited by Fordham to watch the Ram appear on ESPN as they learned of their first-round NCAA playoff opponent. 

Rams and fans leapt and cheered as they watched themselves live on the gym’s video screens and celebrated their tenth-seed selection. 

Coach Gaitley gives one of several of interviews.

The team will head to Waco, Texas for an NCAA First Round matchup against the Cal Golden Bears on Saturday, March 22 at 4 PM ET. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

The Rams and Golden Bears will be two of four teams in Waco this coming weekend.  The host Baylor Bears will take on Western Kentucky in the other matchup.  

The squad that comes out of that weekend with a pair of wins will travel to South Bend, Ind., for the Regional Semifinals and Finals.

Local team basketball players cheer on the Rams.

Rams Coach Stephanie Gaitley said that it is a "guessing game" where the Fordham women’s team would end up in the playoffs.

“The most important thing is that our kids enjoy the moment [and] learn there’s always an opportunity to make some additional things happen.”

 “It was a complete team effort from all levels to get this far,” she continued. “They have to bring it every day. “

Chaperone Jennifer Flood, from St. Margaret of Cortona school in Riverdale, brought 10 girls, ages 7 to 14, who all play basketball on the school team. 

“I’m an alumna. We’ve been here many times and we think it’s incredible," she said. "They’re great role models. This shows my girls that if you put your mind to it, you can do it just like they did.”

Fordham and Cal have never played one another, but the Rams have faced off against both Baylor and Western Kentucky once.  Coincidentally enough, Fordham, Baylor and Western Kentucky all played in the Northern Lights Invitational in Anchorage, Alaska, in late February of 1988.  The Rams lost to both the Bears and the Hilltoppers to that tournament.

Ram fans wishing to travel to Waco can purchase tickets by contacting the Fordham ticket office by calling 855-RAM-TIXS.

WFUV Gala to Honor Soul/Gospel Legend Mavis Staples

Soul/gospel legend, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and civil rights icon, Mavis Staples will be awarded  “Artist of the Year” honors at WFUV’s Annual Gala on May 8 at Gotham Hall in New York City.

Photo by Chris Strong

WATCH Staples perform “I Like the Things About Me” at WFUV: http://bit.ly/OTuvH0

Staples, a Grammy-winner for 2010's You Are Not Alone, her highest Billboard chart debut of her 50-plus year career, will perform at the Gala. 

Staples' career began in the 1950s when her family's iconic gospel-folk group, The Staple Singers, became a popular household name with hits such as "I'll Take You There" and "Respect Yourself.” Their spiritual and political sound became voices of the Civil Rights movement alongside Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Decades later, Staples' notable collaborations as a solo artist include Ray Charles, Natalie Merchant, Bob Dylan, Prince and Wilco. The story of Staples and her musical family is chronicled in the new, critically acclaimed book by Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot: I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers, and the March Up Freedom's Highway (Scribner, 2014.)

Now in its seventh year, the WFUV Gala will also honor Verne Lundquist with the “Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting." Lundquist, the lead play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports’ coverage of college football, also does play-by-play for NCAA basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, and provides commentary for the Masters and the PGA Championship, among other PGA Tour events. He is admired by peers as a humble professional and the kind of on-air personality that will soon be extinct in the business.

Scott Simon, one of America’s most admired writers and broadcasters, will receive the “Charles Osgood Lifetime Achievement in Broadcast Journalism.” He is the host of “NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon,” which the Washington Post called “the most literate, witty, moving, and just plain interesting news show on any dial."

This is the third year WFUV will honor an individual or organization for their “Community Service,” and the 2014 recipient is Katherine Oliver, principal partner at Bloomberg Associates, an international consulting service founded by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg as a philanthropic venture to help city governments improve the quality of life for their citizens. As the former Commissioner of The New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting (2002-2013), Oliver was largely responsible for the Big Apple’s ascent to unprecedented heights as an entertainment-industry destination, resulting in the funneling of $70 billion in direct funds to the city.

WHAT: The gala is a benefit to support WFUV (90.7 FM), New York’s source for music discovery, and a noncommercial, member-supported public media service of Fordham University for more than 65 years. 

 

WHERE: Gotham Hall, 1356 Broadway, New York, NY 10018

WHEN: Thursday, May 8, 2014. Cocktails at 6 p.m.

Gala Details and Tickets

WFUV Radio’s Annual Gala 2014 will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m., followed at 7 p.m. by dinner, awards and live entertainment. Attire is “festive.” For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, please visit www.wfuv.org/gala, email infoevents@fordham.edu or call (212) 930-8898.