Starz in Motion champion selected, family reunited

Published on November 22, 2006 under American Basketball Association (ABA) News Release


Miami, FL. Just before the engines started in the Nextel Cup Championship Sunday, another champion was crowned at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Race fans got the opportunity to choose the national winner in Starz in Motion's vocalist competition, "Shooting Starz."

Twenty-nine year old Columbian singer Francisco Villamizar's rendition of "Roadhouse Blues," commanded the winning audience applause, including applause by his father who hadn't seen him in four years until the competition. Francisco had just moved back to Miami Florida approximately a week before his audition for Starz in Motion. When he found himself running late for the competition, he called upon his father as a last resort to ask for his help in getting him to Las Olas so he could compete. Since the unexpected reunion, they have spent time together working on the relationship and patching up the differences that separated them. As it turns out, Starz in Motion's slogan of "providing opportunity, promoting diversity," lived up to its theme in more than just an entertainment setting.

Starz in Motion CEO Angela Rizzi said, "I am thrilled to see that this competition not only brought out the best on the stage of the contestants, but off the stage in their lives as well. After spending a great deal of quality time with the finalists, I got to know each of them and learned of the trials and tribulations that they've gone through, which were truly extraordinary. Seeing the joy of them getting the opportunity to travel and perform in a setting of this magnitude, it made all of the hard work in putting this together seem effortless."

During the group's stay in Miami, they enjoyed beautiful accommodations at the host hotel, Courtyard Marriott Downtown Miami. A night out on South Beach included a top notch dinner at Restaurant 510, followed by a stroll around Ocean Drive to take in the sights of neon lights and celebrity sightings.

The Final competition took place on the Budweiser Entertainment stage at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the four final contestants earned their positions from the semi-final round the day prior, just before the Busch Series Championship Race. Competing with Francisco were finalists Holly Hobbs from Memphis TN; Joshua Robinson from Rochester NY, and Adrian "Marquis" Weatherford from San Diego CA. Race fans were entertained with a diverse line-up of performances including R&B, Pop, Country and Rock. The group of finalists performed together for the last time, after spending most of the week together in Miami, traveling from different parts of the country.

Contestants who've competed i this past year's competition will get the opportunity to perform at sporting events such as ABA basketball games and motor sports throughout the coming year. For more information, email info@prestigepromotion.com or visit www.starzinmotion.com or www.abalive.com.

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.

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American Basketball Association Stories from November 22, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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