I just want to say congrats to New Sound for winning their division! This was my brother's last competition for the year and they were very excited!
Also, congrats to Bronny Ohl for winning the female solo competition! She is my sister's best friend and I was cheering so loudly when she won!
I'd also like to say great job to both Bloomington Kennedy and Papillion La Vista South! I loved both of your shows and was very impressed all around. Gretna, you put on a great show, but it's just a little too dark for me lol! I like when show choir makes me happy, not sad because people die. But you do it very well.
I didn't see Lewis Central but congrats on your placement!
Harmonia Mundi kids, I know it's upsetting when you try so hard but finals are just out of reach. Don't be discouraged, you had a great performance here and at all of your competitions this year! Also, your sopranos are impressive this year!
As for the elephant in the room, I just wish I had stayed for finals!
1.) I did not see the shows yesterday but I'm sure it was very close. I actually was blown away by FDC's show when I saw them in Vermillion a few weeks ago. Honestly... Probably one of my favorite shows that FDC has ever done (including some of the ones I was in). I was able to see the Headliners at Roosevelt's competition and then again at their own competition. They made some progress. I'm sure they made even more for yesterday. Sometimes I feel we all wrap our minds around the fact that once a group gets a few GCs that we automatically assume that they will win.
While I was in FDC we did not win one competition (they received two GCs the year before me and one the year after me). We received a lot of 1st Runner Ups and some best choreography awards. East was the group that was always ahead of us. Headliners, Lewis Central, and FDC were all (friendly) rivals of one another back then. East has a phenomenal program now and always has. Mitchell has been growing their program to do amazing things these past years. You have two great groups. I'm sure both groups brought it during finals.
2.) Each judge is different. Hopefully the judges aren't biased towards a group but usually that is hard to find. Each one is looking at show choir a little differently. With my background I mainly look at choreography, body posture, stage presence, and because of being a speech teacher I like to see show choirs that articulate their words, making sure they end their words, making sure their faces are lit up, their gestures are appropriate if they use them in a ballad, and that they are making eye contact with the whole room... All of the things I grade my students on when they give their speeches. I am very much different than a director from a show choir who has a background in vocal music and does not know much about choreography. When I gave Sioux Falls Roosevelt their critique last weekend they took what I said and changed it. This may have resulted in them moving up a spot or two in finals... Or it may not have. Perhaps this is what happened with East. You just never know. As I said before each judge is different and looking for something different yet they all still score on the same scoring system. It's hard to make all six judges happy and sometimes you don't. I could tell you a story of my senior year when a judge placed us dead last in finals which resulted in a 1st RU and taking away the only chance of me ever getting a GC.
3.) Be happy you made finals! As I stated before I never was able to get a medal for being a GC... Some groups never get the chance to perform their show twice at a competition. Yet some of them stay to watch these "big" groups compete. Be happy they have these programs in these small schools. Working with high school students all over South Dakota I tell them about where I grew up and they immediately reply with "FRIEND DE COUP?!?!"... They just wish their school had a show choir or a fine arts program that wasn't dying. Friend de Coup is a big deal in South Dakota... Headliners is a big deal in the Iowa/Nebraska area. Show choirs strive to be on that level. I'm very happy for both of these groups and their successful season.
4.) Mitchell won at Urbandale... East did not make finals there... Isn't that interesting? Wouldn't that motivate you to push yourself harder and improve for the next time you may see some of these groups? What happened last night is over and done with. I feel bad for both groups. One may have felt like they were cheated out of a place but another one now feels like they didn't deserve the place they got because of what others are saying. It is NOT their fault. The scoring system may not be the best but what can you do now?
How about the others groups? Did they put on fantastic shows? How were all of the shows in general?
I enjoyed seeing both shows this season. Congrats Friend de Coup. Your show is stellar. I am lucky to be able to see it at your competition next weekend as well as at Dinner Theater. You're putting South Dakota on the map to all of the big show choir states. Congrats Headliners - Your competition was great and it was fun to judge there. You all were so nice and friendly and I'm happy to see you doing well. Good luck at FAME Chicago.
Wouldn't SC East have won even if they eliminated the highest/lowest scores?
East: 1, 1, 1, 3 = 6
Mitchell: 1, 2, 2, 2 = 7
Yes, if you're using rankings. The controversy stems from the fact that they didn't use rankings to determine the captions, so one group is awarded best vocals and best choreography and then receives 2nd place overall. I think most people feel that the group who sang and danced the best (in the judge's eyes) should be the winner of a competition about singing and dancing.
John Baker (former Enterprise, AL director)
Cassie Carpenter (Indian Hills Junior High director)
Scott Dugdale (Millard North Director)
Randy Ewing (Le Mars director)
Laura Fog (Johnston Middle School director)
Ryan Pivonka (Ralston Director)
Donny Short (Liberty Elementary school)
Jennifer Toney (choreographer based out of Chicago)
Brandin Fraseur (Solon, IA middle school director)
Rob Huebner (Westside middle school director)
Mark Mangold (former Jefferson, MN director)
I know for sure that Mr. Mangold and Ms. Toney were critique judges for prelims and were added to the finals judging panel. I'm also going to assume that the middle school/elementary school directors judged the middle school competition in the auditorium. I believe that one of these judges judged the separate solo competition and I'm guessing that one of them judged the Best Male/Female Performer awards. I have no solidity on those guesses though.
Cassie Carpenter, Randy Ewing, and Rob Huebner judged the solo competition.
The daytime judges in the gym that I know of were:
Laura Fog
Ryan Pivonka
Mark Mangold (critique)
Jennifer Toney (critique)
*Brandon Fraseur was Harmonia Munid's critique judge after daytime.
John Baker (former Enterprise, AL director)
Cassie Carpenter (Indian Hills Junior High director)
Scott Dugdale (Millard North Director)
Randy Ewing (Le Mars director)
Laura Fog (Johnston Middle School director)
Ryan Pivonka (Ralston Director)
Donny Short (Liberty Elementary school)
Jennifer Toney (choreographer based out of Chicago)
Brandin Fraseur (Solon, IA middle school director)
Rob Huebner (Westside middle school director)
Mark Mangold (former Jefferson, MN director)
I know for sure that Mr. Mangold and Ms. Toney were critique judges for prelims and were added to the finals judging panel. I'm also going to assume that the middle school/elementary school directors judged the middle school competition in the auditorium. I believe that one of these judges judged the separate solo competition and I'm guessing that one of them judged the Best Male/Female Performer awards. I have no solidity on those guesses though.
Also, another question. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, it's happened before
but (at least using the ordinal system), wouldn't SC East have won even if they eliminated the highest/lowest scores?
East: 1, 1, 1, 3 = 6
Mitchell: 1, 2, 2, 2 = 7
Unless you are averaging the points & not the rankings. But we don't have those provided yet, so we don't know how this method of scoring would affect the outcome...
We've already been to two competitions that had their prelims and finals ranked two different ways (at least that's what our director told us). Granted those competitions turned out somewhat like we'd predicted, that still doesn't mean you can take this competition and say it's garbage for having a problem with the judging. We shouldn't be bashing anyone on this website. It's the way the world works and you just have to get used to it. There are always going to be mistakes and there's nothing you can do about it. Anyways CONGRATS TO FRIEND DE COUP AND TITANIUM ON THEIR WONDERFUL PERFORMANCES AND SC EAST ON THEIR BIG WIN!!!!!!!
This response is rude and completely uncalled for. I understand your frustration at the results and the scoring system that this competition uses, but to call this competition as a whole "absolute, and utter GARBAGE" is ridiculous. You can ridicule the scoring system all you want, and I would join you, but do not discredit the hours, days, weeks, and even months of effort that the students, parents, faculty, and alumni of Westwood put into running this ordeal.
As a spectator, Westwood is almost always one of my favorites to attend. Mr. Gerking and company put on a great show. So please do not take away from their efforts.
However, the scoring system, continue to bash away at will.
I think this is one of the best posts I have read on here in a really long time, for a lot of reasons. It addresses some things I would love to explore even further, but I don't have the time tonight.
More than that, though, I too think that the kids at East should be really proud of their accomplishment - clearly the placements here were very close and I'm sure all of the choirs put on terrific performances.
My apologies I intended to put "could have" instead of "must have." Either way is possible, you just cant know unless you look at the sheets. I just wonder why you wouldn't have both scored the same. Either do placement on both or rank on both. Maybe it would keep results a little more consistent. I'm still a big fan of doing it Olympic Ice skating style where you take the highest score, the lowest score, and completely ignore them, and then average the points. That way biased can be eliminated a bit more. You can go to a competition and receive 4th place from one judge 10th from another and then maybe consistent 5ths and 6ths. So obviously results are going to be skewed. Why can't we eliminate the outliers?
If you like this high-low system, you should come to Mo-Show here in Cedar Rapids. We have been doing that since the beginning, or at LEAST since 2003 (when I started high school). Unlike here at Westwood, we always have a large panel for finals. Usually ten, but tonight Ben Eklund didn't judge due to him choreographing Benton (his choice), so we only had 9. I believe we've had as many as 12 before. Always drop the highest and lowest scores, and then average the rest.
Headliners received 4 first rankings, and two 3rd ranks
FDC received 4 second rankings, 1 third ranking, and 1 first ranking
All in all, I do see the debate. I understand where everyone is coming from. I'm merely advocating for the support of a group that usually does not place as well. How about y'all be frustrated in your minds and stop. Take these results as you may, but DO NOT make any group feel inferior and discouraged.
Westwood Jubilation 2014
