The stage at the Michigan Theater was home to a different type of performer last night, as the “M” Club and Michigan Student-Athletes hosted the 6th annual Mock Rock to benefit the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
The event featured acts by various University athletic teams, including the hockey and soccer teams and appearances made by football players and Olympic-gold medal winner Michael Phelps.
As fans lined up to get the best possible seats, the athletes prepared for a fun night
“We’re just going out to have fun and raise money for the kids,” sophomore Lorilyn Wilson, of the softball team, said.
The first act to really get the crowd’s juices flowing was provided by the men’s soccer team. A parody of the Queen music video for “Bohemian Rhapsody” sent the audience on a trip down memory lane. But freshman and Ann Arbor native Cam Cameron made the crowd go wild with his dance moves.
“You got soul,” sophomore and “celebrity judge” Steve Breaston exclaimed of the first year student. “We have to give a 10.”
The array of 10’s did not stop there, as many other teams provided the crowd with some memorable moments.
The hockey team received the biggest applause of the evening. Its opening dance to the Bill Medley hit, “(I Had) The Time of my Life,” was enough to make even football coach Lloyd Carr crack a smile. But for many, the highlight of the evening was Kinesiology senior Milan Gajic’s impression of Michael Flatly, Lord of the Dance, while the entire hockey team did its best “Riverdance.”
“It took about two hours (to learn the routine),” LSA senior Eric Nystrom said of his team’s work on the act.
Not to be outdone, the men’s track team performed two Vanilla Ice classics. But the focus of the performance was a tribute to the heroes in a half shell — the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In outlandish costumes stolen from 1991, the “turtles” battled the evil Shredder to the tune of “Go Ninjas Go Ninjas Go!” The crowd jumped to its feet when the performance was done, and even Breaston wanted to call his mother for his turtle action figures.
Kinesiology sophomore and basketball player Brent Petway was the night’s winner. The first solo act ever in Mock Rock history, Petway rapped to his own tune and was the only act to fully interact with the crowd. Walking up and down the aisle, Petway strung together his rap faster than a Detroit Lions drive, pumping up the crowd in the process. The Georgia native finished his routine with five minutes of break dancing, convincing the judges to give him a perfect score.
Not only were the performances entertaining, they were also a rewarding experience for the athletes because the proceed went to benefit the children’s hospital.
“The kids at Mott hospital are unbelievable kids, and they’re going through more than any of us can ever imagine,” Nystrom said. “To get this many people here and to raise so much money for Mott hospital — it’s an unbelievable cause.”