hey all i am an ambassador and i just wanted to appologize to anyone that we may have offended. and we all know that we might have been a little rude and we are sorry. i just wanted to let you all know that you all did a fantastic job on saturday exp. hastings and LM. i fortunitally got to see both of you and i thought that it was going to be a tight race to the finish. not gunna lie i was trembling im my shoes when i saw both of you. once again i appologize to anyone that we might have offended. Thanks for a great competition and i look forward to seeing you all again sometime this year
I think that since this competition is over, and everyone is gearing up for the first BIG show choir weekend, we're all a little tense! I do think that without turning this thread into a big pointing-fingers-fest, that the topic at hand is an important one worth discussing.
I think really what we can all take away from this is that the many little things we as individuals do at competitions can have a HUGE impact- on your group, on other groups, the reputation of your program, the general spirit of the event, and obviously, the feelings of everyone involved. Show choir is awesome because it teaches so many lessons beyond the obvious ones. We all have the opportunity to learn professionalism, time management, how to handle high pressure situations, how to adapt quickly, and of course, how to compete in a healthy manner.
I do believe this starts with directors, but I also believe that any student who has the ability to sing and dance and perform, also has the ability to use his or her self-control in competitive settings. I also think it's worth noting that parents and fans are another important part of this equation.
If each show choir can act supportive and professional with everyone they come in contact with at competitions, we can really raise the bar on the events we attend. Absolutely, no choir has it completely right when it comes to behavior- we are all humans, and we all have moments of weakness. But maybe the way to handle that is not to shrug it off or make excuses, but to address it again, and keep at it. This is a great time of year to do it- we all have plenty of chances left to get it right!
I am not accusing anyone of this, but no matter how much your director tells you to not be arrogent or not talk bad about other groups, it still happens. it really is not preventable. I honestly didn't notice any bad talking happening anywhere. maybe I was just oblivious to the fact. The only comment I heard in the hall while passing a Prairie student was, " o look, the 5 man show choir." I'm not that offended, but it was rude. I really feel like it is getting blown out of proportion with the whole competitive tension between the groups. Am I the only one?
While this in no way defends the actions of a group...
but the rivalry between the Cedar Rapids schools are just insane.
It has always been there, and always will be. It is hard to describe and I can't really think of any other schools to compare them to, because you have so many (Xavier, Kennedy, Jefferson, Washington, Linn Mar, Prairie...) it is never dull.
I am not accusing anyone of this, but no matter how much your director tells you to not be arrogent or not talk bad about other groups, it still happens. it really is not preventable. I honestly didn't notice any bad talking happening anywhere. maybe I was just oblivious to the fact. The only comment I heard in the hall while passing a Prairie student was, " o look, the 5 man show choir." I'm not that offended, but it was rude. I really feel like it is getting blown out of proportion with the whole competitive tension between the groups. Am I the only one?
While you have a prep group that might have gotten out of control there is still no excuse for it.
Being in Washingtons prep group we were still to be respectful and classy, you represent your school no matter what. they will be the future of your varsity group.
And i know prep groups can do it. So please don't use them as a target, because no one has any proof of who was in what group
QUOTE(awsomecoolguy @ Jan 7 2008, 09:45 PM) 410738
you shouldnt talk about being sportsman like because before you went out for finals. I walked passed you and said...."good luck, in a very possitive way" right to you. And you looked at me like *psh i dont need luck were going to win* with a little head snap thing! and didnt say any thing
Ahhh. This would be exactly why I don't do this whole showchoir.com thing. haha.
No. Drama. No. Drama. My director looks at this, so I'm really watching my back...However...
I personally, 100 percent, can honestly say-- I never got a good luck from anyone at this competition I got many a congrats, but not one single person said a thing to me, mainly because I wasn't present on the campus of the college, I was with my "significant other," out to dinner during my free time.
And...how can you translate my look? Lol. My look, is my look. While yes, I'm sure I come off bitchy sometimes, but I'm for sure that there wasn't an ounce of "we're going to win" in me, lol. I was really actually QUITEEEEE excited for finals, and had a headache at the same time. So if ANYTHING...I can say that if I looked at you with a "look," I'll apologize that it came off that way, Lol. We're not allowed to bad talk at competitions, nor are we allowed to look arrogant, (Not saying that we, us, some of us, or I don't, but we're forbade and if we're caught we're told we're not allowed to compete for the rest of the year because of it's unprofessional-(ity). ) Again, I'm sorry that I didn't say anything to you, I was heading on-stage, I get into a little performer zone and don't talk....I guess I didn't know I was doing something....wrong?
QUOTE(theambassador @ Jan 7 2008, 07:57 AM) 410681
Hey, I understand what everyone is saying about our sportsmanship. But I can almost certainly say that if people went around saying "Linn-Mar Sucks" it wasn't from a member in Ambassadors. Maybe Focal Point. And the celebration was because for us, this was a moutain we had to climb to get first. From what I had heard, we were down 30-40 points to Linn-Mar. To come back from that, is a great feeling. I have a lot of respect for Linn-Mar and I really liked their show. Was I on stage celebrating? Absolutly I was. Like everyone is saying, it is the greatest feeling in the world. So anyways the point of this is to say, I doubt anyone from Ambassadors was the ones screaming "We beat Linn-Mar" it was probably from our prep group.
I agree with you 100% Our prep group was just as excited as we were, and that is where we have quite a few freshman whom don't exactly know how to show sportsmanship yet. As an Ambassador, I am completely sorry to anyone we offended with our show of excitement. I hope to see you all peform again this year. Hastings and Linn-Mar- I loved your shows. They showed style and things that you don't always see in show choirs. I didn't see Linn-Mar in person, but I did enjoy your ballad from the Cafeteria, where I was watching on the projector. Hastings, your entire show had me questioning my own performance, and really had me awake and, frankly, tapping my foot the entire time. I hope to compete with you again sometime!
I wanted to say to everyone that was there/wasn't/competed...it was an awesome competition. Things were so fun!
However....
It was nice...very nice to take in the most captions from the show. I personally think that was the most fun thing for us......Prairie...
I know it's an amazing thing to win, and to beat another Cedar Rapids school that has beat you quite a few ( i didn't say how many, cause I can't remember) times...but....The way they received their award, and the presentation they had after/before they got GC...was thoroughly inconsiderate.
The dance captains that were on-stage, (me coming from Prairie, these are all my old friends), reacted after the first runner-up (LM) was name by jumping and screaming/running around herself....
Now, I won't be mean, because that's not what I'm going for, but out of respect and to show the respect-(abilitly) of your show choir, you typically shouldn't do things like that. I know that at MY school, we are told, just like the MC that announces it, that we are NOT to do things like that in front of the whole crowd because of how it portrays yourselves. It's very unprofessional, and immature to the other groups watching you when you've discovered that you've won, and celebrated in public. Now. I won't say that it doesn't spark in the best feeling in the world in a performer, but I find it horribly sad that they hadn't responded better....and again, this is pure opinion.
I also found it very sad that they ran through the hallways, past LM members, screaming, "OMG! WE WON! WE BEAT LM!!! WE WON, WE WON!!" and made it a point to walk past people heading to our room on their cell phones calling "people" to announce that they won, in front of our doors.
If I can personally say myself, the members of 10th Street have celebrated in much more respectable ways, and made it clear that they're happy, but respected the sensitivity of others.
I'm not trying to sound like a sore loser, yes it doesn't make me feel all that hot that we'd won this competition 2 consecutive years, and not won this year...but still, I just think that from the talk I heard in the halls from other people/show choirs, it was extremely upsetting how they responded, and made people look at their school/members in a much different way. I do understand, it's awesome winning, it really is, but there's just got to be a better way to respond to something like that.
I hope in the future those members of the show choir (pending they get the opportunity), will chose a much more respectable way to celebrate, and look a little more "show professional" for the other members of the competition that are watching.
Again, very-much-so my opinion, but with the margin of the points they'd won by, they had every right to be excited. There just wasn't a need to celebrate in that manner, at that time (after first runner up was announced).
Thanks again to everyone that hosted/watched and supported! It was a lot of fun
you shouldnt talk about being sportsman like because before you went out for finals. I walked passed you and said...."good luck, in a very possitive way" right to you. And you looked at me like *psh i dont need luck were going to win* with a little head snap thing! and didnt say any thing
I just want to add that this competition was so much fun, and I really didn't feel any tension or bad feelings between any groups, and I think Prairie's reaction to there win was completely legitimate. I thought everyone was really nice. I believe the "boring" cheer was after hastings performance, and if i am correct, it was from alumni members of the choir who came to watch. It was all just a joke, and they cheered after that, it was all in fun. I hope no one is bitter with each other, everyone did an awesome job and it was another successful Viterbo 101!
Also- these were the point totals after the day rounds and finals..
I am getting these numbers from memory so forgive me if I am off a few points. Day Rounds-These points are out of 800
715: Linn-Mar
684.5: Cedar Rapids Prairie
684: Hastings
649: Holmen
Don't know the last two point values.
Finals- I believe these are out of 200
188: Cedar Rapids Prairie
183: Linn-Mar
178: Hastings
172.5: Holmen
Don't know the last two point values.
I will say that I was also disappointed in sportsmanship at this competition.
After one group was done, people starting chanting "boring" (at least that's what it sounded like from where I was sitting).
After the competition, Prairie students were in fact saying bad things about Linn-Mar. I followed a group of Linn-Mar kids out, and while they were obviously disappointed, they didn't make a huge deal out of it, in front of other schools, I did hear some harsh remarks, but nothing like what Prairie did. I was surprised when no one from Linn-Mar said anything when a kid from Prairie ran by saying "Linn-Mar sucks, we won!". Unprofessional. While I know Prairie isn't used to winning, with the level they are at this year, it's not unlikely they will another Grand Championship, and I can only hope they will portray themselves a bit better the next time I see them.
Hey, I understand what everyone is saying about our sportsmanship. But I can almost certainly say that if people went around saying "Linn-Mar Sucks" it wasn't from a member in Ambassadors. Maybe Focal Point. And the celebration was because for us, this was a moutain we had to climb to get first. From what I had heard, we were down 30-40 points to Linn-Mar. To come back from that, is a great feeling. I have a lot of respect for Linn-Mar and I really liked their show. Was I on stage celebrating? Absolutly I was. Like everyone is saying, it is the greatest feeling in the world. So anyways the point of this is to say, I doubt anyone from Ambassadors was the ones screaming "We beat Linn-Mar"...if anyone from Prairie was doing it, it was probably from our prep group. But that would suprise me because they are pretty mature.
I wanted to say to everyone that was there/wasn't/competed...it was an awesome competition. Things were so fun!
However....
It was nice...very nice to take in the most captions from the show. I personally think that was the most fun thing for us......Prairie...
I know it's an amazing thing to win, and to beat another Cedar Rapids school that has beat you quite a few ( i didn't say how many, cause I can't remember) times...but....The way they received their award, and the presentation they had after/before they got GC...was thoroughly inconsiderate.
The dance captains that were on-stage, (me coming from Prairie, these are all my old friends), reacted after the first runner-up (LM) was name by jumping and screaming/running around herself....
Now, I won't be mean, because that's not what I'm going for, but out of respect and to show the respect-(abilitly) of your show choir, you typically shouldn't do things like that. I know that at MY school, we are told, just like the MC that announces it, that we are NOT to do things like that in front of the whole crowd because of how it portrays yourselves. It's very unprofessional, and immature to the other groups watching you when you've discovered that you've won, and celebrated in public. Now. I won't say that it doesn't spark in the best feeling in the world in a performer, but I find it horribly sad that they hadn't responded better....and again, this is pure opinion.
I also found it very sad that they ran through the hallways, past LM members, screaming, "OMG! WE WON! WE BEAT LM!!! WE WON, WE WON!!" and made it a point to walk past people heading to our room on their cell phones calling "people" to announce that they won, in front of our doors.
If I can personally say myself, the members of 10th Street have celebrated in much more respectable ways, and made it clear that they're happy, but respected the sensitivity of others.
I'm not trying to sound like a sore loser, yes it doesn't make me feel all that hot that we'd won this competition 2 consecutive years, and not won this year...but still, I just think that from the talk I heard in the halls from other people/show choirs, it was extremely upsetting how they responded, and made people look at their school/members in a much different way. I do understand, it's awesome winning, it really is, but there's just got to be a better way to respond to something like that.
I hope in the future those members of the show choir (pending they get the opportunity), will chose a much more respectable way to celebrate, and look a little more "show professional" for the other members of the competition that are watching.
Again, very-much-so my opinion, but with the margin of the points they'd won by, they had every right to be excited. There just wasn't a need to celebrate in that manner, at that time (after first runner up was announced).
Thanks again to everyone that hosted/watched and supported! It was a lot of fun
I will say that I was also disappointed in sportsmanship at this competition.
After one group was done, people starting chanting "boring" (at least that's what it sounded like from where I was sitting).
After the competition, Prairie students were in fact saying bad things about Linn-Mar. I followed a group of Linn-Mar kids out, and while they were obviously disappointed, they didn't make a huge deal out of it, in front of other schools, I did hear some harsh remarks, but nothing like what Prairie did. I was surprised when no one from Linn-Mar said anything when a kid from Prairie ran by saying "Linn-Mar sucks, we won!". Unprofessional. While I know Prairie isn't used to winning, with the level they are at this year, it's not unlikely they will another Grand Championship, and I can only hope they will portray themselves a bit better the next time I see them.
Odd... nobody posted Best Female and Male Soloist... since I don't remember the names or how to spell them, can someone back me up?
Edit: changed Men's to Male, lol nothing major
This is a general reply to a little bit of everything everyone said
Thank you for the support, and yes, I will go easy on Prairie, it ISN'T very often they win at all, and I personally know it's one of the best feelings in the world to win your very first competition of the year, at the first competition of the year. But....there's just no justification for that, I hate to say it but the word that comes to mind is: professionalism.
Again, Prairie, Congrats.
Linn-Mar's show this year:
The Dawn, the Sky, and the Sun by the Celtic Women, feat. soloist- Kelsey Madsen (Previous ballad soloist.
Rain Down from the Fighting Temptations
'Hero', by Il Divo (Sang partly in spanish, part english), Originally performed by Mariah Carey, feat. soloist- DiAndre' Neville
Makes Me Wonder, by Maroon 5, feat. soloist- Zack Lucera
Kiwi, by Maroon 5
Medley- Black Dog, by Led Zeppelin, Walk this Way, by Aerosmith, and closing piece, Dude Looks Like a Lady, by Aerosmith.
Again, this competition was so fun
The Best Male soloist was from 10th Street Edition - DiAndre' Neville (it's really weird saying that, btw)
The Best Female soloist was from Hasting's Riverside company - (her name...i...forgot...but she sang a Fighter Medley, by Christina Aguilera (Not originally performed, arranged in the same format as Christina )
Well, I finally was able to get to a computer and post my thoughts on this wonderful competition! As John said, the 3 of us went down together and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I remember sitting there right after Hastings went, and I looked over at Wes, and he was staring fixedly at his program, completely still, pen clenched in hand. He was so worked up over trying to figure out the winner because it was SO difficult to choose! I mean the caliber of the performances was incredible, so how do you pick the top group? I flipped back and forth between Linn Mar and Cedar Rapids Prairie because I loved both of their shows. The sound they put out blew me away, especially since the choreography is anything but easy. Coming from another Mike Weaver group, it was really fun to watch Cedar Rapids do his choreography. The cool thing was, it was different Mike Weaver than I was used to, but just as amazing (I mean seriously, the lifts in "Mambo"?! Amazing!) And Linn Mar...how I love you When your girls came out in those dresses, I was sooo happy. How beautiful! And all of your soloists were incredible!! And of course, I love April James, so it was awesome to watch Linn Mar work it out there ;) And Hastings, of course you know I love you!! We're sister show choirs basically, so its always great to come out and cheer for you like crazy Love the show, and I agree with John, its your best show since my freshman year (I absolutely ADORED "Inspector Gadget" that year as a little freshman). I personally really liked the "Fight Medley", I thought that by doing it, you stayed true to the reputation Hastings has for going out of the box and trying fun stuff like that. And GREAT VOCALS! Chippewa Falls, I really liked your "James Bond Medley" thing, especially with the cool costume change and the phone conversation. Good sound, and a fantastic male soloist. Watching Holmen was a new experience for me since I have never gotten a chance to watch them. They are so unique, and its great to see a show choir who does their own thing but still does well in competition.
Jeez, I gotta go to bed, I'm still exhausted from yesterday!! Good luck to all of the groups in the upcoming seasons!
Viterbo 101 2008
Love the show, and I agree with John, its your best show since my freshman year (I absolutely ADORED "Inspector Gadget" that year as a little freshman). I personally really liked the "Fight Medley", I thought that by doing it, you stayed true to the reputation Hastings has for going out of the box and trying fun stuff like that. And GREAT VOCALS! Chippewa Falls, I really liked your "James Bond Medley" thing, especially with the cool costume change and the phone conversation. Good sound, and a fantastic male soloist. Watching Holmen was a new experience for me since I have never gotten a chance to watch them. They are so unique, and its great to see a show choir who does their own thing but still does well in competition. 