By Jonathan Smith, Managing Editor

Both Cole Young and Jennifer Walker almost decided not to audition as a Sing Song host or hostess this year.

Both now say they are glad they did.

Young, senior management and marketing major from Midland, and Walker, senior education major from Irving, join four others as the 2004 Sing Song hosts and hostesses. The others are: Jeffrey Rasco, junior management major from Abilene; Andrew Young, junior theatre major from Lincoln, Neb.; Emily Petr, junior management major from Lawrence, Kan.; and Tiffany Talley, junior communication major from Houston.

Walker said that even before the semester began, she was not going to audition.

“But once school started this year, I had a lot of people that were like, ‘You should try out for hostess,'” Walker said. “At first I wasn’t going to, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was something I really wanted to do. It had been a dream for a long time. But once I realized that a lot of people believed in me, I thought, ‘Well maybe I can do this.'”

Right up to the audition, Cole Young wasn’t sure he would try.

“I’ve always kind of entertained the thought of it; I was actually kind of skeptical about it for a good while,” he said. “It wasn’t up until actually a couple weeks ago that I really starting taking a real interest in doing it. I had always thought about doing it but never really saw it happening.”

Walker said she remembered her first thoughts when she found out she had been selected Nov. 5. The Sing Song co-chairs went around to each of the hosts’ and hostesses’ houses that night and brought them together for the first time.

“I saw them walking up to my door,” Walker said. “I was just kind of shocked because I really didn’t think I would make it. Then I guess after my first thought, I wondered who else made it.”

Walker said she is looking forward to working with the other hosts and hostesses, and Cole Young said the prospect of working with some of the others who auditioned was part of the reason he decided try out.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” Young said. “So I thought it would be a good opportunity to broaden my experience, learn some new things and try to better myself performance-wise and make some new friends along the way.”

The hosts and hostesses met with Kendall Massey, director of student productions, Wednesday to begin discussing what songs they will sing.

“Kendall is letting us have a lot of say in what songs we get to sing this year,” Walker said. “Right now, we’re just looking at songs that we would be interested in singing. We’re talking about those with him, and he’s going to go over that.”

After having been on the production staff and directing a Sing Song act, Walker said she is looking forward to this opportunity.

“I’m looking forward to being a part of Sing Song in another aspect that I haven’t been a part of before,” Walker said. “I’m excited to get to entertain people and to do something that I’ve watched people do for a really long time.”