Gymnasts, from left, Sharon Lee, Jill Procasky and Delaynee Rodriguez want to find new ways to interact with fans. (W1974 Collective Photo)
Kentucky gymnasts were looking for a different NIL idea to interact with the community that would appeal to their biggest target audience of young girls.
They feel like they found the right event with Back To School Karaoke Aug. 25 from 3-5 p.m. at Night Kitty Karaoke Bar (545 S Broadway #185) in Lexington. The alcohol-free event is for all ages and only 50 tickets — priced at $20 — are available
“We really wanted to do something more direct for fans. Karaoke is super fun. All the girls on our team have done dance nights and done some singing,” said redshirt freshman Sharon Lee of Texas. “People our age just really love music. Karaoke, putting the embarrassment aside (of singing), is a fun way to be with friends and others.”
Other UK gymnasts joining Thomas for the event will be Jill Procasky, Delaynee Rodriguez, Isabella Magnelli, Creslyn Brose and Kaila Lawrence.
“We definitely want to get people involved. We will do karaoke and have fun with them. We do not want to just put on an event. We want to be involved,” Lee said. “We are really excited to get to meet young girls and have fun with them before school starts as well as our other fans. Honestly, I think there will be a wide range of ages at our event.
“We want as many people as possible to come. We love to sing our hearts out. I know the personalities of our team and how energetic we are and how welcoming we all are. We don’t want to judge anyone. This is just about having fun and cutting loose.”
The W1974 Collective promotes women’s athletics at UK and hopes this unique karaoke event can lead to other events with other female UK athletes.
“We are just trying to find new opportunities to use name, image and likeness (NIL) to get into the community more and interact with our many supporters,” Thomas said. “We are kind of breaking new ground with this. Hopefully it goes well and leads to more.”
Lee already knows that Brose will be the “best singer” among the gymnasts.
“She sings a lot and is an amazing singer,” Lee said. “The rest of us will try to match her energy and try our best but it doesn’t matter if we sign well or not, we are just out to have fun with our supporters.”
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Tickets can be purchased here.
