Round Lake girl lobbies to sing at Cub's 7th inning stretch
Like many 10-year-olds, Jayne Diliberto has spent the summer hanging out with friends, opening a lemonade stand, and helping her mother with a garage sale.
What makes her unique is the Round Lake girl also is lobbying friends, family members, neighbors and anyone else who will listen to vote for her to become the one person selected by the Chicago Cubs to sing the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley Field in September.
"I really want to do it," she said. "I'm a huge Cubs fan, and think it would be cool to sing in front of all those people."
Last week, the Cubs named Diliberto one of 50 finalists in the Baby Ruth Ultimate 7th Inning Stretch Competition.
Now, she hopes people will review her online tryout video at www.chicagocubs.com and vote for her.
Each video is online for only one day, and the winner of each day will advance to the finals. The finalists will return to Wrigley Field for another tryout Aug. 14, and those videos will be posted again and fans will vote for the best.
The winner will be announced Sept. 1, and will sing during the stretch at that home game.
Voting for her semifinal video is set for Tuesday, her mother Dawn Diliberto said. The video was shot during the Wrigley Field tryouts in July.
"We are really excited for her," Dawn Diliberto said. "I'm nervous for her, but I'm not worried she'll be nervous if she wins. She loves to sing in front of huge crowds."
Jayne, who will be a fifth-grader at Olive Mary-Stitt Elementary School in Arlington Heights in the fall, said she has performed at the Genessee Theater in Waukegan and at Millennium Park in Chicago as a part of a choir or as a soloist.
Her family is moving to Arlington Heights soon, Dawn Diliberto said. Jayne has attended St. Joseph School in Round Lake for six year.
Jayne said her favorite song to sing is "Think of Me," from The Phantom of the Opera, and any song from "Hannah Montana."
"I have have a passion for singing," she said. "And, I really want to sing this year because the Cubs are going to the World Series."
If chosen to sing, Jayne said she will take her family to the game with her, and try to get autographs from favorite players, Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome.
"My brother is the biggest Cubs fan in the world," she said. "So, he would love to be there."
Friends Katelyn Witcraft and Larissa Johnson, both 10 and from Round Lake, said they will vote as many times as possible for Jayne to win the contest.
"She really is a good singer," Witcraft said. "She really deserves it."