Well, it really just boiled down to out time slot. AT 11:00 AM, there's no way the judges are going to even THINK about giving a good score, especially with 7 other VERY GOOD choirs after 2 breaks. There was just no point being there, really lol.
My group attended Fairfield Crystal Classic in 2006, my senior year. We performed around 10:00 a.m. because we were classified as a "small" mixed group. There were plenty of finals-worthy choirs that performed in the afternoon, such as Marysville, Hurricane, Zionsville, Mt. Zion, Colerain, and your very own choir from Piqua. Yet, my group beat out Colerain to make into finals. The odds were against us being a small group, and thus having to perform at 10:00 a.m., but clearly in that instance the judges were not just "saving" their scores for the afternoon groups.
In my opinion, Piqua definitely should have been in finals. Though, I do not necessarily believe it is fair to immediately assume that there is "no way" that the judges would even "think" about giving a good score to an early group. It's happened in the past at the same exact contest with a laundry list of amazing groups scheduled to perform in the afternoon that same day.
It might be a poor excuse. But its the only one that we can really think of that makes the most sense. From Marching band experience, i know that when you perform earlier, the judges give lower scores so there's more room in the after lunch. And i think thats what happened. But also, my father said that the arena was absolutely packed. Not just for us, but it was packed. I couldn't really tell. Since i'm in the combo (which is the reason why we lost) i can't see.
Its basically the combos fault why we lost. We have never EVER been too loud at any competition. Most judges tell us we need to play out. But it was different this time. I don't know how, or why, but it just was. But i'm not mad either. I just want to point that out.
Actually I think that the best part of Piqua's show was the combo. You guys played so well! If anything I think the choir needed to sing out more
Well, it really just boiled down to out time slot. AT 11:00 AM, there's no way the judges are going to even THINK about giving a good score, especially with 7 other VERY GOOD choirs after 2 breaks. There was just no point being there, really lol.
I think thats a poor excuse for not making finals. I have been in a group to make finals before and we were one of the first show choirs to perform that day (around 9am). It would be more likely to say that it is harder to give it your best at an earlier time, when maybe the venue isn't as packed and lively as it is later though.
What a competition! With so many good groups in attendance you know there would be some upsets, but I'm pretty much over the back and forth over "who's better" at this point. You watch the shows and you like some better than others. All this stuff is subjective and we should remember that. Of course I have a lot of opinions on yesterday's showdown, but I don't really think there's a need to dissect things too much. Here are some things I do want to highlight:
The entirety of the Fairfield staff was exceptionally accommodating; I really felt they went above and beyond to make this competition a positive experience for everyone who attended. I've said it before, but I really do love the "local" competitions so much more than any of the "prepackaged" national ones... there's just a better sense of camaraderie and higher level of care placed on all aspects of a competition's needs. Very special thanks to Jeff Clark, Eric Cimini, "Kenny Bob," and Mark ("Kenny Bob"'s brother) for helping to make sure I had what I needed for the streaming and HD filming yesterday.
I thought Burroughs sang the best and was deserving of their Best Vocals caption.
I thought Attaché had the best choreography and was deserving of their Best Choreography caption.
I thought Piqua was the only group who really got shafted; they absolutely deserved to be in finals.
Overall I think the results were fairly agreeable and given the panel of judges, were about as unbiased as one could ask for.
I'd just like to finish by addressing the whole "Clinton vs. Burroughs" issue. Clearly these are two of the best groups in the country (if not the absolute best) and I know that rivalries are often fun. It's very similar to how people feel about sports teams and get into heated discussion about their favorites. Just remember to state your opinions as opinions and be respectful of both sides. Whether or not you like someone's show, there's a group of extremely hard working students, parents, alumni, and friends giving tirelessly to make it happen. Just taking a step back yesterday and admiring how far show choir has come really made me happy. I can't even imagine where we'll be in 10 years.
I would also like to speak as a Californian for a moment. Obviously a few of the groups out here do shows that aren't as traditional as groups in other parts of the country. They also happen to be our very best groups, and as such, they draw a lot of fire. I am completely aware of how the constant defending of the shows as being "artistic" has rubbed people the wrong way as everyone involved in show choir is creative and expressive and absolutely artistic. On the flip side of the coin, it's also understandable to be a little defensive when people call your shows "weird" and "ridiculous." Here's a post someone made a couple of pages back:
QUOTE (Foghorn2005 @ Mar 07 2010, 03:50 AM)
People from the midwest kind of hate on Burroughs, I understand. First of all we don't like to see Clinton lose. They're just not supposed to.
First of all, I think there are plenty of people in the midwest who love Burroughs, but that's beside the point. Clinton isn't "supposed" to lose? In what universe is that written? They're a show choir just like anyone else and certainly aren't unstoppable. They had a great run in the midwest for several years, and justly earned some acclaim. When Burroughs went head to head with them the last few years, I think a lot of people liked seeing the "underdog" win. Now that Burroughs definitely aren't underdogs, people like to tear them down. It's all cyclical. I think that the attitudes on both sides need to change a little and remember that there are real people in these choirs who do their best to put on their show for you. Sadly, I don't know anyone in Attaché very well (if they'd be allowed to post here, that would probably help!), but some of my closest friends are in or have been in Powerhouse and I can assure you that the vast majority of them don't feel "entitled" to anything. They truly love performing their show and I do think that comes across very strongly when they're onstage. As someone in an audience, that makes a big difference to me in how I am receptive to a performance. "Clean" choreography without conviction is far less impressive to me. And I'm not saying the Clinton kids don't have conviction; I just don't think it feels as genuine as Burroughs. And clearly Burroughs has the technical skills to back up what they're doing as well, or they wouldn't place as highly as they do.
Thanks for everyone who came up and said hello during the event... it is always so fun to meet SCC people and put faces to names, especially those I've been conversing with for ages on here. I definitely didn't get to meet nearly as many people as I wanted to, but I was pretty busy the entire time with the streaming and the HD and all. One of these days I'm going to have to come to a competition just as a spectator and enjoy it!
Everytime i try to post what i want to say, it deletes itslef. I'm tired of writing the same thing over and over, so i'll just get to the point. I'm from Piqua. I've been performing with them for a couple years, and i'd like to share what i thought about Burroughs. (since its the only show choir i can remember fully) I might add more later.
Burroughs: I didn't like the show. I thought the background lights were VERY distracting. the "blanket" of LEDs were a good idea, but i found myself watching the background more, not the show. Also, the lights that were spinning, or moving, or whatever they were doing; it felt like they were just trying to seek out my retinas and blind them. The choreography, I felt, was just not enough. Its SHOW CHOIR. Not stand still the whole time and sing Choir. I thought the costumes were just plain ugly, and the hair was.... different.
I understand the show. Alice in Wonderland. But i think they were trying too hard for a show concept. Also, i felt the combo never had a "wow" moment, as well as the choir.
I think maybe i was expecting a little more from a choir that's top in the country...
Just to clarify, Burroughs won best vocals - not Clinton.
I will change that to say "Clinton deserved the vocals caption." I think both Clinton and CG outsang Burroughs. Again, that is just my opinion, as an observer who wasn't even there, so just ignore me.
I want to also thank everyone for their attendance (those at the event or watching at home) for this year's event. We hope that the facility, structure, and hospitality made for a great Crystal Classic experience! We try our best to impress.
To Häakon- thank you for making the trip to do a live feed and for choosing this event for showchoir.com!
To Brendan Jennings, Jen Oundjian and all our "friends from the West"- we had awesome time hosting your choirs here and hope to return the favor in the future! Our hosts loved the signed face card!
To all finalists and to GC Attaché- WHAT A SHOWDOWN! I hope everyone there felt like winners to have the packed house watching in eager anticipation to see just what each group would bring to the stage. Everyone there truly had a sampling of show choir today, with MULTIPLE styles, traditions, and show designs represented.
It was truly an epic day of show choir and no matter how things turned out, we all knew it would be a topic of debate!
It was great talking with you guy again. Its soo funny how competitive things seem when the curtain goes up however, everytime I meet everyone behind the scenes, it has been a great experience. Thanks for keeping show choir fun.
Till we meet again.
PS: The craftsmanship of that clock is impeccable.
I wanted to take this moment and congratulate our family at Fairfield and say that I have just attended the most professionally run competition I have ever been to.
I have been heavily involved with show choir for over 11 years and have traveled all over the country with the students at Burroughs and everyone is commenting on how well they were treated and how comfortable they felt.
Fairfield Crystal Classic 2010
I will change that to say "Clinton deserved the vocals caption." I think both Clinton and CG outsang Burroughs. Again, that is just my opinion, as an observer who wasn't even there, so just ignore me.