Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and 2001 WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie was thefeatured speaker and the final Blue & Gold Power Party of 2003.

The Blue & Gold Campaign is one of the major fund raising efforts run by the Athletics Association during the school year. Last year's campaign produced nearly $800,000 that went towards the athletic scholarship fund at the UCR Athletics Department.

Basketball Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale was the featured speaker at a 2004 Power Party.

The fund drive traditionally kicks off with a banquet with student-athletes and community members and groups of boosters.

The boosters are organized into teams. The teams then go out into the community and raise funds. Prizes, such as golf outings, trips with UCR teams, and UCR paraphernalia, are given to the teams and individuals that raise the most funds.

The highlight of the campaign are the weekly "Power Parties." These "Power Parties" have been extremely entertaining in the last two years, featuring speakers such as super-agent Leonard Armato, former NFL player Ronnie Lott, and XFL co-founder Mike Keller.

Former Vice Chancellor-Administration Mike Webster blows his whistle to announce the start of the annual donut eating contest between Mike Miller, center, and Stan Morrison, right.

The biggest events in Power Party history, however, have been "Krispy Kreme I" and "Krispy Kreme II, the Revenge." These two nights have featured a big-time donut eating contest between UCR Athletics Director Stan Morrison and UCR Director of Physical Plant Mike Miller. Miller has been victorious in both rounds, eating a dozen of the confections in under 10 minutes. For the record, that is over 3,000 calories. As the loser, Morrison had to do a back flip, fully clothed in a suit that had last been fashionable in the mid-80's, into the hotel swimming pool.

This year's campaign will kick off in October and figures to be even more exciting than last year. For more information, contact Cliff Dochterman at (951)-827-4292 or by email by clicking here.