'The Amazing Race' winner to play in celebrity softball game

By: PATTI MAGEE - Staff Writer | Sunday, October 17, 2004 12:13 AM PDT ∞

FALLBROOK ---- Former actor Chip McAllister and his wife, Kim, traveled around the world to emerge as the winners of $1 million in the most recent edition of the CBS show "The Amazing Race," a feat that stretched their physical and emotional prowess.

Now, Chip McAllister plans to step up to the plate for a cause dear to his heart when he plays in a celebrity softball tournament to benefit the Boys & Girls Club in North County.

The game begins at 1 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Jim Banks Sports Complex, 12196 E. Pala Mission Road in Pala.

McAllister has fond childhood memories of attending a Boys & Girls Club in Los Angeles. He didn't go often, but when he did he enjoyed himself and realizes such a place can have a positive impact on young people's lives.

"Sometimes parents don't have enough time to spend with their children," he said in a telephone interview last week. "The Boys & Girls Club is a place where kids can get help with homework and have fun and enjoy the camaraderie of other kids. Many kids become greater adults by being involved with the Boys & Girls Club."

McAllister, 47, has had a variety of careers. In 1977, he was chosen over more than 5,000 others to play a young Muhammad Ali in his life story "The Greatest." He auditioned at his mother's prompting.

"At the time, I was a box boy in a grocery store and my mother made me go," he said. "She was always the one who told me to go after my dreams."

After his role in the Ali big screen film "The Greatest," he had roles on shows such as "Police Woman," "Colombo" and "Highway to Heaven." He aspired to having a starring role on a network television show and was chosen for the 1986 show "Better Days," which was canceled after one episode. After that, the roles dried up and he moved on.

He worked in the computer industry and went back to school and graduated from Azusa Pacific University in 1995. He and his wife formed their own information technology consulting firm in 1998 and bought their dream house in Coto De Caza in Orange County.

The consulting firm went belly-up in the dot-com crash, and the McAllisters started another business with another couple. A few months after the business started making a profit, the McAllisters say the other couple stole from them. The McAllisters have gone to court to regain their share of the money.

A friend told them that CBS was looking for people to be on "The Amazing Race," which they auditioned for and went on to win.

The most challenging aspects of the race were some of the physical feats, including pulling himself up a long, helicopter-type ladder and walking up a mountainside, McCalister said.

He and his wife eventually hope to host a TV program that promotes happy marriages. They have two teenage children and place a great emphasis on their family life.

"There is no manual on raising kids per se," he said. "We just love them and our kids know we love them. For us, it's God first and family second."

McAllister said his and his wife's faith have sustained them during tough times.

"If you weather the hard times and keep the faith, it will change your life for the better," he said. "You have to be positive. Hard times will come, but you can't dwell on them."

McAllister, who is penciled in to play first base in the Oct. 30 game, said he enjoys taking part in events like celebrity golf tournaments and softball games.

"I get the chance to do something I enjoy and help others ---- for me it's a win-win situation," he said.

Abe Oliveras, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of North County, said people like McAllister will draw attention to the game.

"Someone of Chip's status will create some interest," he said. "And, I think we're going to have a good team. We're getting excellent local support."

Other celebrity players are:

Donn Swaby: He played the role of Chad Harris on the NBC daytime series "Passions." He also was in the film "GI Jane" with Demi Moore.

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and younger. Photo opportunities will be available to the public with the celebrities for $5 each. A raffle will also be held with prizes being awarded in between innings.

Bat boy and bat girl opportunities are available for $250 each on a first-come, first-served basis. Four slots are available. Tickets for the game may be purchased at Major Market or at the Boys & Girls Clubs of North County at 445 E. Ivy St. For information, call (760) 728-5871.

Contact staff writer Patti Magee at (760) 731-5797 or pmagee@nctimes.com.

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