Eastern sports teams are preparing to show off their talents at this year’s fifth annual Jock N’ Roll at 7 p.m. Monday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The goal is to raise money to help send Eastern veterans and their guests to the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball tournament in Nashville, where they will spend two nights at a hotel.

The veterans will be provided with gift cards for gas and food.

Veterans from other schools, who are send by OVC member institutions, will also attend as part of the Hoops for Heroes initiative.

The mission of the initiative, created jointly by the OVC and Student-Athlete Advisory Committees of member institutions, is to honor military men and women in OVC communities.

Cindy Miller, the director of academic services for athletics, said it takes $500 to send a military veteran and their guest to the tournament where they will be recognized for their services.

Last year, they were able to send four veterans and their guests to the tournament because they raised $750.

“If we raise additional money, we can give them more,” Miller said. “(We) normally send three or four people.”

Miller said this year will be even more exciting because the Eastern Men’s Basketball team may be playing in the tournament.

She said it is mandatory for every OVC school’s SAAC to find some way to raise the money for the OVC’s Hoops for Heroes initiative. Committee members may raise the money however they want as long as they come up with the funds.

Nick Smith, president of SAAC, said committee members have been planning the event for several months by reserving locations and creating posters to advertise. Members have also contacted a group of veterans to select a few who they will be sent to the tournament.

The chosen veterans will be recognized at the beginning of the event along with the introductions of the night’s judges. Different coaches and the host of the event will serve as judges.

Smith said SAAC members have also worked with their teams to prepare for their individual acts during Jock N’ Roll.

“None of the sports teams are required to participate,” Smith said. “Yet since it is for a great cause, the majority of sports teams love to participate.”

Smith said there are no specific requirements for the acts other than it being appropriate. To ensure this, music and videos that will be used during the acts are screened.

“Our list of teams participating is tentative,” Smith said. “Yet we plan to have eight different acts from teams such as Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Men’s Football, Men’s Baseball, Women’s Softball, Women’s Volleyball, as well as Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country.”

In previous years, the tickets were $2 but the price was raised to $3 last year.

“The athletes decided it,” Miller said. “It’s an entertaining night and we get to send more people.”

Miller said the cause also lets student athletes show off other talents other than in academics and athletics.

“It is an enjoyable night as we, the student-athletes, get to showcase our talents outside of our respective athletic competitions in order to raise money for a good cause,” Smith said. “You can’t beat that.”

Shirmeen Ahmad can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected]