I am a part of Jefferson JIVE, and today in class we were talking about how maturely and professionally The Current handled the entire situation. We wanted to thank them all again for being so nice about it and not being rude at all. Also, The Current got on stage before JIVE did for final awards, so that is why they brought the trophy home. They weren't trying to steal it away, and it would have been awkward and wrong for JIVE to try to demand it from them. We are getting our trophy later, and good luck to The Current on the rest of their season!
You guys are an amazing group! Congratulations again on your win and good luck with the rest of your season too! A very nice group of kids. Looking forward to seeing you guys again at Star Power! Should be a very fun day
I am a part of Jefferson JIVE, and today in class we were talking about how maturely and professionally The Current handled the entire situation. We wanted to thank them all again for being so nice about it and not being rude at all. Also, The Current got on stage before JIVE did for final awards, so that is why they brought the trophy home. They weren't trying to steal it away, and it would have been awkward and wrong for JIVE to try to demand it from them. We are getting our trophy later, and good luck to The Current on the rest of their season!
The Critique judge was NOT scoring and this was not the issue at all. A mistake was made within the system--not by the groups, NOT by the judges, not by any individual. It will DEFINITELY be addressed before the next years competition as to make sure it will not happen again. I think we can all agree it did suck that it happened but we can all stop assuming or coming up with reasons as to why. It was a computer error plain and simple--- My being sick and throwing up in a hotel room didnt cause the error--LOL.
Lets put this to rest for now and just agree that it was a day of amazing talent with a slight set back that, if for nothing else, allowed an extra amazing group to share their talent with us again in the evening!!!
It was a lot of fun having all of the groups at our school and congrats to everyone on a day full of great performances!
From what I understand...
The scoring error was because of the judge confusion. We were originally going to have our choreographer, Jeni Donahue, be the critique judge, but while she was here cleaning with us for the week before Winterfest, she caught the sickness that had been going around our group. She was gone, and things got a little sketchy. I don't have word from our director, and this is only hear-say, but from what I've gathered the critique judge's scoring was counted with all of the other judges, and boosted Waconia into first for A groups. (Not saying that Current isn't good, they're actually extremely good, but I'm sure you all know that.) Current handled the situation extremely well, and we all felt bad about the whole situation arising in the first place. What happened with awards is that one of our directors told the JIVE reps that they'd be mailed their trophy once we had it made for them. None of this was Current's fault. I'm not quite sure about the tie, I haven't heard anything official about it, but thank you to everyone for coming, it was a great show.
Congrats to all the finalists, regardless of place. Seeing you all perform really got me back into show choir mood, and I can't wait for our next competition. Hopefully, I'll get to see you again.
I was also in that JIVE freshmen year (2008) when they announced us as winning first place in the prep division. Then somebody came up to the announcer and whispered in his ear. "Ooops, there appears to have been a mistake. The Jefferson JIVE did NOT win prep division, but Totino Grace Encore Singers." It was pretty awful and we were crying especially when Totino Grace was screaming and cheering, but they deserved to. They won. It still sucked though. We decided to go out an perform in finals anyways and make the best of it, and we still had a great time. I remember we were allowed to keep the first place prep trophy but i don't remember about the finals one...
This year, history repeated itself, which is ironic because that scoring mistake was what kept Jefferson from coming back to that competition again for a few years. It'll be interesting to see if they go back.
I am so proud of the JIVE ladies, they are wonderful. I thought it was a little... convenient... that the Current and JIVE tied, but I guess it's all for the best.
I had a great time, yay Connection! I feel so proud to have even lost to Power Company and Vocalmotive because I watched both groups and they were beyond incredible. I LOVED Bemidji's song choices, and Power Company killed it. Those pink dresses were so great, I couldn't take my eyes off of them. Great day!
Just to clarify something... if i recall correctly, The Current didn't even know they had actually NOT won until after their performance in finals. I agree scoring issues/mistakes suck, and it is up to the directors of the competition to decide what is to be done about an issue. I wouldn't agree with the comment that The Current STOLE the satisfaction from JIve, Current had no part in this, it was a mistake made on the tabulation of some sort. I was VERY proud of the Current kids (when they were sat down and explained that they in fact did not win prep). The 4 seniors in the group, and the directors, and myself walked the trophy down to the jefferson jive homeroom and presented it to the director and all the kids in there. I was very proud of the sportsmanship from BOTH groups! Jefferson seemed very happy, and the director was SO appreciative!
I cannot officially say this is why, but I wonder if they gave the finals trophy to Current because Jive was going home with the (rightfully deserved) prep grand champion trophy??? JIve and Current captains were on opposite sides of the stage, the trophy was walked over to the current, and the director explained to jive what i can only imagine was him saying, we will order and mail your finals trophy to you!?!
The Current did nothing wrong, they handled the situation with grace and utter sportsmanship, and yes i feel for JIve, Ive been with groups who have missed out on their moment due to a scoring error before, and while winterfest can never go back and give them that moment back, i hope jefferson jive knows they deserved the prep champion, and they had the support and respect of everyone from Waconia!
It was a great day for SOO many groups, and we should celebrate that!
I'm sorry, I think I worded my post wrong, I didn't mean for it to sound that way. Also I should say I'm not a student but an alumni.
When I said that the moment was stolen from Jive, I meant that it was the fault of the people running the awards ceremony, not at ALL the fault of the other group. The Current was probably the best JV group I had ever seen, and it's so unfortunate that this happened to both of the groups. Like I said, I was is their shoes three years ago, and it is not fun.
I guess the fact that this happened to me, and then to my sister in Jive, just put me over the edge with frustration towards the people running the competition, but not any of the actual choirs involved. I also don't believe in letting groups tie, the preliminary scores should always be used as a tie-breaker, because a tie leaves everyone disappointed, in my opinion. I would rather lose than tie.
Now I'll go back to college where I belong and leave show choir alone for a while. Just had to get it out of my system.
Great competition...good job to all the groups there.
Congratulations to Jive for your win and finals performance!!! You guys are a truly amazing group, and i can't imagine the postion you were put in. You and the Current both handled it very well, professionaly, and sportsmanlike and it was good to see. It was unfortuante that soemthing like that had to happen, but it was very ironic it ended in a tie! Either way, congratulations.
I don't know what's going on with "Tier" something getting added in places...weird. Hahah.
If you have like three or four a's in a row, Haakon has it auto corrected to go Tier 1. Because 4A is Tier 1, 3A is Tier 2, etc. It's the new Tier system on the site.
Congrats to everyone and a HUGE thank you to Eau Claire for hosting such a great competition!
I am so proud of Power Company, the Current, and WATT for their best band award!!
As for the errors, they were unfortunate, but at this point there is not much that can be done about it. The Current was announced as being a finalist and had little time to prepare, let alone make major decisions about whether or not to perform. The situation was far beyond Current's control and they were at no fault whatsoever. They were incredible sports about the whole situation and I was truly impressed by their attitudes. Whatever your opinion may be about whether or not they should have been judged or exhibition in finals, both the Current and Jive handled the situation with tact and respect. There is no use blaming the Current. All that can be done at this point is trying to prevent an error like this in the future.
Thanks again, this was really a fun day!
i had so much fun today. i'm in jive crew as well as being a member in connection so i was both happy and a little angry when we found out about the scoring error. with jive's ripoff dresses, they throw them under the stage and me and the other crew member have to go under there and grab them all. usually, that's not much of a problem but the risers had crossing beams on the bottom so it made it tough to get the dresses lol. 4 shows in one day. gotta love show choir!
i didn't see any group other than power company and old abes. PC, you guys really deserved your spot. congrats on the GC and i'll see you at... well, whatever comp we'll be at with you guys.
old abes, i LOVED your show. it made me laugh the whole time (in a good way of course). you guys had great vocals, choreo, and AMAZING facials. i hope we don't have to compete cause you guys are really good lol
I'm the ballad soloist for the Connection and just wanted to say that we've worked really hard on our show and we're SO glad that you all enjoyed it.
CONGRATULATIONS to our JIVE!
Power Company was absolutely amazing. I was completely blown away by YOUR ballad soloist. You were completely deserving of Best Female Soloist and can't wait to see you again when Connection goes to Waconia!!
All of the groups were awesome! I'll try and remember my thoughts on some of the groups...
Vocalmotive: You had amazing soloists, I was really blown away! Vocals were incredible and consistent. You'd think I wouldn't be so shocked by the rip-away skirts, but I'm surprised every time haha. Your opener was one of my favorite songs of the day for sure!
Jefferson Connection: LOVED the yellow dresses. Your ballad soloist was INCREDIBLE. I think Cece and I sat there with our mouths open for a few minutes. Cute.
RIG: I really loved your Alice costumes, especially the black and white ones! I wish I was Alice. That was really entertaining and unique! Cece and I have a big crush on the 'I Want You Back" soloist. Shhh. You guys really know how to perform and invite the audience into your show.
Jive: I'm glad I got to see you guys in finals!! Your choreo was really clean and sharp. The show kept me entertained the whole time, and I really liked your song choices. Amazing soloists! You guys definitely went above and beyond!
The Current: As a former Current Panda (Stage Crew) of 3 years, I may be slightly biased. But you guys just never quit!! SO MUCH ENERGY, even in your finals show. Great vocals, great clean choreo blah blah blah. You know how much Cece and I love you.
Northern Lights: Your opener was really memorable and unique! You guys were really committed to the character and it paid off! It was another show that kept moving and changing, which I like. I have a short attention span.
Power Company: Yeah. You guys all know how Cece and I feel about your show tonight ESPECIALLY your finals performance. I think our tears of joy summed it up pretty well. We are probably very biased but we truly love all of you! I'm very proud of how far you have come and how much soul and hard work you have put into the show this year.
First of all, I would like to say that I really enjoyed watching Power Company, they blew me away, Bemidji was very good as well, I had a lot of fun watching these guys perform.
Now, I was personally in Jefferson Jive when the first scoring error was made in 2008. We were in the exact same position as The Current this year, so I know exactly what it feels like, and I mean no offense to the kids in that group. I was very impressed with them and enjoyed watching their show. However, when this same error occurred in 2008, Jefferson Jive was allowed to perform as an exhibition but we were not eligible for a placing in finals. As I remember it, it was very upsetting to find out that we weren't truly in first place, but we enjoyed the privilege of performing in finals as a jv group even though we were not allowed a placing in finals. If I remember correctly, we also were not allowed to have a trophy, since we did not place in finals.
I feel that the incident should have been handled the same way it was handled three years ago. They not only stole from Jive the satisfaction of hearing that they had been first in their division, when they went on stage after they announced the tie, the other group had already walked off with the trophy and I don't believe Jive even got to hold it on stage.
I felt the need to post here because this incident really affected me, as it was one of my first show choir competitions ever.
Besides all of this, I am shocked that this error could occur once, let alone twice. Very unprofessional. I don't think I will be able to attend this competition again.
Just to clarify something... if i recall correctly, The Current didn't even know they had actually NOT won until after their performance in finals. I agree scoring issues/mistakes suck, and it is up to the directors of the competition to decide what is to be done about an issue. I wouldn't agree with the comment that The Current STOLE the satisfaction from JIve, Current had no part in this, it was a mistake made on the tabulation of some sort. I was VERY proud of the Current kids (when they were sat down and explained that they in fact did not win prep). The 4 seniors in the group, and the directors, and myself walked the trophy down to the jefferson jive homeroom and presented it to the director and all the kids in there. I was very proud of the sportsmanship from BOTH groups! Jefferson seemed very happy, and the director was SO appreciative!
I cannot officially say this is why, but I wonder if they gave the finals trophy to Current because Jive was going home with the (rightfully deserved) prep grand champion trophy??? JIve and Current captains were on opposite sides of the stage, the trophy was walked over to the current, and the director explained to jive what i can only imagine was him saying, we will order and mail your finals trophy to you!?!
The Current did nothing wrong, they handled the situation with grace and utter sportsmanship, and yes i feel for JIve, Ive been with groups who have missed out on their moment due to a scoring error before, and while winterfest can never go back and give them that moment back, i hope jefferson jive knows they deserved the prep champion, and they had the support and respect of everyone from Waconia!
It was a great day for SOO many groups, and we should celebrate that!
oh show choir drama, how i missed you.
congratulations to everyone today! i really enjoyed sitting back and watching everyone. i was worried i would have an overwhelming sense of duty or something, but even when asked to help with hair i declined ;) haha.
thank you eau claire, once again. you are all so kind and it is a pleasure to return as an alumni. i will probably sneak back in the following years. also, thanks for keeping food prices low in a struggling economy. as a freshman in college, i truly appreciate it.
margaux and i are def. laying in bed next to each other, both on scc on different laptops. everything she has to say about the error is how i also feel. shocker, right?
i guess, errors happen all the time. it sucks, but it does happen.
we've been on both sides and i feel as though the 'false' winner and the 'rightful' winner feel equal pain. it's never been about trophies or placing for me, it's been about performing. maybe we should take a step back and just be happy to be involved in such a beautiful program where young adults handle themselves with such grace.
i am proud of every group i saw today. you all are beautiful, inspiring, passionate people. keep rocking to the beat of your heart, no matter the number associated with your perfomance. in my show choir career, power company had it's ups and downs but it really taught me that it's an art! trophies are nice but they will never ever mean as much as the friendships and the memories you make.
Eau Claire Memorial Winterfest 2011
