The Douglas High School Gymnasium is the site of the unique basketball game between the local team, The Chamber Challengers, and the world famous Harlem Ambassadors, on that Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. The event is organized by the Greater Douglas Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by various local merchants.
 Lade Majic will perform tonight for the Harlem Ambassadors at Douglas High School gym. |
“At our shows, we want the kids to know that they’re part of our team too,” Coach Ladè Majic said.
“We invite as many kids as we can to come sit on the bench, have a front row seat during the show, and get involved in all of the fun stuff we do.” The Ambassadors set themselves apart from other “Harlem-style” basketball teams by working with local not-for-profit and service organizations and holding Harlem Ambassadors shows as community fundraising events.
The Ambassadors have partnered with The Greater Douglas Chamber of Commerce to help raise funds for its many events, activities and a better Douglas.
The Chamber Challengers team are composed of Camilla Altree, DHS instructor and DHS tennis coach; Richard Bock, DOC Warden; Samuel Clinch, Agente Aduanal Gris; Gary Cross, Cochise College; Chris Escarcega, Eric Valenzuela and Armando Hiquera, Douglas Fire Department; Paco Esquer, DOC; Diego Guerrero, DHS instructor and Jones Real Estate; and Juan Hernandez, Wal-Mart manager;
Also, Rico Novoa, Border Patrol; Keara Quijada, SouthEast Arizona Medical Center; Oscar Romero, Faras Elementary School; Corey Shook, Cochise College student; Rosy Zoyaza and Angie Villareal, Jones Real Estate; and Jose Duarte and Miguel Martinez, Douglas Police Department.
Advanced tickets are $8 for Adults and $7 for students, and one dollar more the day of the event and are available online at www.douglasazchamber.org or at Border Mart, DHS Athletic Offices, Casa Enrique, Edward Jones, Shoe Salon and Two Flags Computers. “Buy your tickets right away, because this event will sell out,” suggests Chamber Secretary, Vicky Merritt of Edward Jones & Associates.
Ambassadors background
The Harlem Ambassadors Professional Show Basketball team was conceived in October 1997 by Dale Moss. Moss combined an extensive career in professional sports management and marketing with an entrepreneurial desire to create the Harlem Ambassadors concept. Already operating a sports marketing firm in Fort Collins, Colorado, Moss began seeking a central figure to direct the basketball operations of the Harlem Ambassadors.
Through discussions with several persons, Moss had chosen to contact S. “Ladè Majic” Prophète regarding this role. She was the first and only choice for the position, but was out-of-touch playing professionally in Israel. While on a scouting trip for players in New York, Moss learned that she had returned from overseas, met with her, and found they shared a common vision for a show basketball team. Ladè Majic signed with the Harlem Ambassadors in April 1998.
The first training camp was held in September 1998 and the team launched their inaugural tour in October. The first-ever Harlem Ambassadors game was played in Mountain Home, Idaho on October 10, 1998. The first season saw the Ambassadors play approximately 30 games.
The Harlem Ambassadors have experienced steady growth in the eleven seasons of touring. The Harlem Ambassadors have been committed to presenting a wholesome family show with high-quality performers since day one and Dale Moss attributes the team's continuous growth to that focus.
During the history of the Ambassadors, the team has made multiple foreign tours. Included in the list of nations and overseas territories that the Ambassadors have visited are Canada, Germany, England, Iceland, Macedonia (FYROM), Bosnia, Kosovo, Hungary, Korea, Japan, Cuba (Guantanamo Bay Naval Station), Puerto Rico, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, Palau, and French Polynesia (Tahiti).
Beginning in the 2002-03 season, a second touring unit was spun off. Today, at any given point in the season, there are two Harlem Ambassadors' units performing in different parts of the country. The group performing primarily east of the Mississippi is designated as the "Red, White, and Blue" unit, while the western touring squad in called the "Stars and Stripes" unit. Between the two units, the Harlem Ambassadors performed 209 events and 94 "Stay in School, Stay off Drugs" youth programs during the 2008-09 season.
The team annually holds a two week pre-season training camp at Evangelical Covenant Church in Fort Collins, Colorado. Performers are selected not only for their basketball skills, but also for their positive lifestyles and ability to truly be "Ambassadors" both on-and-off the court.
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