by Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writer
Imagine being stared at and surrounded by 60,000 silent people, all of whom are waiting for you. It might sound like a bad dream for many people, but for 19-year-old Sara Croft it is something fun to do on the weekend.
Croft, a full-time student at the University of Florida, has performed the National Anthem at Alltel Stadium five times and is scheduled to sing again Sunday before the Jaguars-Detroit Lions game.
“It’s thrilling,” she said. “I would do it every minute of the day if I could. I don’t care if there are 200,000 people there.The bigger the crowd, the better I do. I would be more scared singing in front of two people than in front of 60 million.”
Croft first performed for the Jaguars when she was 15 years old, though she has been singing at sporting events since she was 11.
Bo Reed, director of special events and promotions for the Jaguars, said Croft has been a favorite pick because of her traditional singing style.
“We really like Sara,” he said. “She has a great voice and she seems very patriotic and traditional.”
Because of Jacksonville’s large military community, Reed said the Jaguars tend to only pick singers that perform a traditional version of the song.
And Croft, who has studied several different Anthem performances, said she prefers to perform a very traditional version.
“I hear people fancy it up and put their own style to it,” she said. “Style is well and good but when it is something that is so respectful I think leaving it the way Francis Scott Key wrote it and tradition is important.
“If you sing it traditionally, you keep tradition alive.”
Croft admits to being an all-American girl and said that singing the National Anthem makes her feel complete.
“I don’t have American flag bedspreads or flags all over my dorm room but I am patriotic,” she said. “I really get into it.”
Though Croft is a repeat performer at Alltel Stadium, most singers only get one chance to perform, Reed said.
“Sometimes if we find a singer that is a good one we will have them come back again,” he said.
Mark Eisenstadt, coordinator of special events for the Jaguars, said about 200 demo tapes are sent in by different prospective singers every year.
“They send in a tape and we judge them based on a few criteria,” he said.
Besides having a traditional style, Eisenstadt said singers are picked based on the length and quality of their demo.
Though major musical acts are picked to perform the Anthem for some games, especially nationally televised games, Eisenstadt said the Jaguars generally select only local talent.
“It is not easy getting a national act,” he said. “We like to give the local artists a chance to perform.”
As for being a rarity as a repeat performer, Croft said she is grateful to the Jaguars staff and is thrilled to have this opportunity.
“If somebody calls me up and says ‘I need you to sing,’ I’m on it,” she said.
The Jaguars host the Detroit Lions Sunday at Alltel Stadium. Kickoff is 1 p.m. The game will be blacked out locally.