"I'm Just a Singer in an Underwater Band" and other aquatic phenomenon

Before I go into today's entry, many people have asked if anyone is reading this blog. So far, I have had only two people send responses. The kids need to know if you are reading this. If you are, then send a short response. I'll pass it on to them. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

The kids have worked so hard for so long and have been drilled for some very long hours. Coming to the end of a long week, Tim realized that the kids needed to have some real fun and "lighten" up a bit. So . . . this morning's rehearsal was held in the hotel swimming pool. Talk about fun. If you know the competition set at all, you realize that some moves are at the floor level (think Singer in a rock and roll band where the girls in front are lying down and the guys are using their legs as a microphone). When it was time for those moves, all you could see were bubbles and a leg sticking out of the water. Yeah, it was a major source of great laughter and fun for all. Unfortunately, the camera man (me) was backing up for a cool shot and stepped into the spa. Fortunately, only up to the knee and only one leg. The pool is enclosed in glass and one can see in from the outside. Needless to say, we attracted quite an audience, including a few directors of other show choirs. All they could do was shake their heads. I'm sure their kids will give them grief over not letting them use the pool before a competition. Later, at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, the first competition category was unisex (all girl). I must pause here and describe the theater. It was built in 1928 and is in the old style of the day with heavy ornamentation, and gold leaf everywhere. It is gorgeous. Now back to the show. LIGHT was third in the rotation after the all-girl sets and did very, very well. There were eight mixed choirs and out of those eight, six were selected for the finals. We were not picked. There were a few long faces and even a tear or two. We enjoyed a great buffet put on by FAME and then took our seats for the finals. We watched until the end and then they had the awards ceremony. We received a bronze statue of a lion (kinda greenish). We're still looking for a name for it. On the ride back to the hotel, Tim told us what really happened with the judging. The judge who is one of the best choreographers of his kind in the nation gave us 9's. The judge who is not a choreographer gave us 7's. Doesn't make sense does it? We were only one point away from 4th place and lost out by 2/10's of a point. There were other judging inconsistencies that we had no control over, but the kids were awesome and should be very proud of how well they did.