| AnthemLIVE! concert, tennis match to fund EVMS cancer research |
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November 16, 2005 Tennis Tournament and Concert to benefit cancer research, including research at EVMS. Andy Roddick vs. James Blake followed by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter John Mayer and platinum newcomer Gavin DeGraw ODU’s Ted Constant Center at 7 p.m. on Dec. 1 Tickets range from $15 to $100 and courtside seats for 6 are available for $2,500. To get tickets, go to www.constantcenter.com or call the Constant Center box office at (888) 411-4TED. Norfolk—In his career, tennis prodigy James Blake — who learned tennis in Harlem and rose to become a college champion at Harvard — has played in multimillion-dollar, globally televised tournaments against tennis legends. But on December 1, Blake will come to Norfolk for a match Blake considers as crucial as any he’s ever played — an AnthemLIVE! exhibition against Andy Roddick, intended to raise money for cancer research. In addition, Blake will host a 6 p.m. cocktail reception and auction Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, where guests can bid for a private lesson with Andre Agassi, a tennis clinic with James Blake, and more. For tickets, call the EVMS Office of Institutional Advancement (446-6070) or the Norfolk Yacht & Country Club office (423-4500). “This is a more important match against Andy than if it was in the U.S. Open,” Blake said at a Nov. 10 press conference at the Ted Constant Center, where AnthemLIVE! will take place. “An event like this is really going to help others.” The exhibition will feature not only a tennis match between two of the world’s top players, but will be followed by a concert by Blake’s Harlem neighbor, two-time Grammy Award winner John Mayer, and another friend, Gavin DeGraw, whose recently released first album, “Chariot,” went platinum. One third of the proceeds for the match will go to ground-breaking cancer research at EVMS. Blake, 25, who watched his own father die of stomach cancer, conceived of a benefit involving tennis and music as a way to help find a cure for others suffering similar fates. Blake said he’s played in exhibition matches, but this one is unusual because it includes “a full-blown concert as well.” AnthemLIVE!, sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, will donate all proceeds to research programs at EVMS, Virginia Commonwealth University's Massey Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. In its last two years, AnthemLIVE! raised $1.3 million for cancer research. “AnthemLIVE! has been successful beyond our expectations,” says Tom Byrd, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia. O. John Semmes, Ph.D., an EVMS professor of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology, said funds from Blake’s event will help advance ground-breaking research whose goal is to identify and eradicate cancer long before it has a chance to do damage. Proceeds that go to EVMS can help advance the proteomics program that relies on “extremely expensive instrumentation,” Semmes said. Blake came up with the idea of the tennis match/concert after suffering a year that left his career and personal life shattered. After rising to be a top college player at Harvard, Blake left to join the pro-tennis tour. “I’m a college dropout,” he quipped during the press conference. He rose through the ranks, developing an international reputation. In July 2003, as Blake left to play at Wimbledon, his father said he couldn’t go because he needed a hernia operation. When Blake returned, his father confessed the truth: that he had cancer of the stomach lining. Even as his father’s health deteriorated, Blake continued to play. In May 2004, though, he suffered a freak accident in Rome, falling into a net post during practice and shattering a vertebra in his neck. During his recovery, a Zoster infection paralyzed his face, and impaired his hearing and eyesight. Then, on July 3, 2004, his father died. “Losing a parent is an indescribable experience,” Blake said. With all the physical and emotional turmoil, many – Blake included – wondered if his tennis career was over. Instead, he worked his way back. Blake says his father’s death made him realize that there are things more important than tennis, but he seems to have drawn strength from the suffering. He’s now playing as well as he ever has. His match against tennis legend Andre Agassi in the 2005 U.S. Open is widely regarded as one of the most dramatic ever played, destined for ESPN classic reruns. Although Blake lost on a tie-break, he considers that match one of his best. “If you’re going to lose, it’s best to lose playing well against a legend like Andre Agassi,” Blake said. Blake’s astonishing comeback has transformed him into a fan favorite. Today, he’s as big a draw as tennis legends like Agassi, or prodigies like Roddick. Still, Blake never forgot his father’s agony and wanted to do something to help find a cure for cancer. He tapped his friends Roddick, Mayer and DeGraw, then hooked up with Anthem, which handled all logistics. AnthemLIVE! takes place at ODU’s Ted Constant Center at 7 p.m. on Dec. 1. A three-set tennis match between Blake and Roddick will be followed by a concert by Mayer and DeGraw. Blake said a lot of people who aren’t tennis fans might be drawn to the event by Mayer and DeGraw. “Maybe we’ll convert them to being tennis fans as well.” Tickets range from $15 to $100 and courtside seats are available for $2,500. To get tickets, log on to http://www.constantcenter.com/ or call (888) 411-4TED or the Constant Center box office. Top For more information, contact: Doug Gardner, Director of News and Publications EVMS Office of Institutional Advancement (757) 446-6070 - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |