American Idol’s Taylor Hicks Will Open Rocky Mountain State Games

The Season Five winner of American Idol, Taylor Hicks, will be the featured performer at the Opening Ceremony of the Rocky Mountain State Games on Friday, July 29 at 7:00 p.m. in the Colorado Springs World Arena. Wyoming athletes who compete will get in to the performance free if they participate in the evening's parado of competitors.

The celebration will feature the traditional parade of athletes, a BMX performance by the Yellow Design Stunt Team, gymnastics and taekwondo sport demonstrations, and the lighting of the State Games cauldron by a special celebrity athlete.  Past celeb athletes lighting the torch include Olympians Steve Holcomb (bobsled), Rulon Gardner (wrestling), Michelle Kwan (figure skating), Apolo Ohno (short track speedskating), Derek Parra (speedskating) and Henry Cejudo (wrestling).

The 2011 Rocky Mountain State Games is the state's largest multi-sport event. It will take place in Colorado Springs on two weekends for the first time, July 22-24 and July 29-31, with 34 sports on the menu for an expected 7,000 competitors.  The games are presented by AT&T and organized and managed by the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, is a multi-sport festival for Colorado and Wyoming citizens of all ages and athletic abilities, including physically disabled, visually impaired and Paralympic athletes. The Games are recognized by the National Congress of State Games, a member organization of the United States Olympic Committee.

Competition will take place in the Pikes Peak Region at venues including the U.S. Olympic Training Center, United States Air Force Academy, Memorial Park, Fort Carson, Colorado College and other venues in Colorado Springs.  Online registration is open now for all sports at coloradospringssports.org.

Tickets for the Opening Ceremonies are $7.00 for adults, $5.00 for youth (18 & under, seniors (55+) and  may be purchased at the Colorado Springs World Arena box office and all front Range King Soopers locations. Fans can also call 866-464-2626 to purchase tickets, or go to worldarena.com.