Rust Belt quickly
(Hey: I wasn't the only one there, so get to posting, folks!)
After day 1, we were the second highest ranked team with a 1 ranking from our bout and a score of 112.5 under extremely adverse venue and time conditions.
Saturday, second round:
By the time the bout started, my team was pretty wiped out (stated time 1:50; actual time 4:12). I had been up and moving since 9:30 to make the Rust Belt meeting, so by the time this bout started, not even watching the U.S. Open in the bar could keep my morale at 100%. We were the third bout of the day and needed our A game. We needed to come in first or second in this bout to clinch a finals stage appearance. We MIGHT have been able to get away with a third place slot, but it really depended on how other teams fared in the earlier bouts.
The order we drew was:
A) Cols. Writers' Block
B) Milwaukee
C) Michigan United (formerly Kalamazoo)
D) Buffalo
E) Cols. Black Pearl
Ew. For the record, that's a very tough bout.
I sent up Vernell with "Words": 29.2 (which left us tied for 2nd after the first rotation)
Jason "Gold" *: 29.8 (which put us in first place by .4)
Rose "Dead Horse" *: 29.8 (which kept us in first place by .4)
Scott "They Hate Your Poem" *: 29.6 (which netted us the 1 ranking by .2)
This gave us a total ranking of 2 and we were headed into the finals!
The team ran off to hide for the two hours we had before Finals at a nearby Max & Erma's and tried to decompress.
At that point whatever happened in Finals was whatever happened, and we were fine with that. Of course, at this point, we didn't know that Vernell had made it to Indie Finals alongside six other poets!
FINALS
We got to the venue and were immediately met with "Hey, did you know Vernell's in indie finals?"
Uhhhhhh, no. So now it was about what could Vernell do that wouldn't hurt the team without sabotaging her significant feat of making it to Indie Finals.
As coach I decided that, since Indie Finals were happening right before team finals that indies should be foreplay to the team event; that whatever Vernell did there would translate into good will for the team (since the judges weren't likely to change between events, and they didn't with one or two exceptions, I think). So we went for the Indie gold:
INDIE FINALS
Clean slate, three rounds, 7 opets down to 5 down to 3.
First round
Alvin Lau - 29.5
Dan Vaughn - 29.1
Dave - 28.5
Vernell - 29.8 = "Skinny Girl"
Versiz - 29.2
Epiphany - 29.3
Will Evans - 29.7
Then (not in order)...
Alvin Lau - 30
Vernell - 30 = "Words"
Versiz - 29.9
Epiphany - 29.4
Will - 29.7
Then (not in order, but maybe it is)...
Alvin Lau - 30
Vernell - 29.7 = "Bootylicious"
Versiz - 30
Alvin and Versiz split the title!
I was so proud of Vernell, everyone was. She really showed range and sideboard heft, and her performances were really off the chain. She was in there swinging with the big boys and she held it down, baby.
I've got to get ready for work, so I'll cut to the chase on the team finals (which were HARD).
We kept second place in every rotation behind Detroit.
Vernell: Blood Diamond - 29.8
Rose: Pressure Switch - 29.5 (was a 50, but had a time penalty)
(I don't mind saying that Rose had the BEST performance all night of any poem on that stage here. I've seen it before, but not like that. That performance messed me up.)
Jason: Big Booties - 29.6
Scott: Comfort Woman - 29.8
(This poem wasn't in my sideboard, so I hope my team isn't mad at me for bending a rule. I just read the room a little differently in that moment, and well, the scores speak for themselves. I can read a room if nothing else.)
Finals Team rankings:
1st - Detroit (119.8)
2nd - Columbus - Writers' Block (118.7)
3rd - Columbus - Black Pearl (118.4)
4th - Chicago (116.8)
5th - DC/Baltimore (115.2)
Go Writers' Block! I love this team.
The Rust Belt is a special event, not like other major shows. That's because the midwest is not like other places. Adn becuase we have a nice fat influx of new blood at the organizer level, we're all starting to gel and really get to know one another. This netted us a warm, cordial event overall. I was happy to see so many poets and people whose company I enjoy, and I am honored to be hosting next year's event as well.
See you all in Austin!
* = Off paper.
After day 1, we were the second highest ranked team with a 1 ranking from our bout and a score of 112.5 under extremely adverse venue and time conditions.
Saturday, second round:
By the time the bout started, my team was pretty wiped out (stated time 1:50; actual time 4:12). I had been up and moving since 9:30 to make the Rust Belt meeting, so by the time this bout started, not even watching the U.S. Open in the bar could keep my morale at 100%. We were the third bout of the day and needed our A game. We needed to come in first or second in this bout to clinch a finals stage appearance. We MIGHT have been able to get away with a third place slot, but it really depended on how other teams fared in the earlier bouts.
The order we drew was:
A) Cols. Writers' Block
B) Milwaukee
C) Michigan United (formerly Kalamazoo)
D) Buffalo
E) Cols. Black Pearl
Ew. For the record, that's a very tough bout.
I sent up Vernell with "Words": 29.2 (which left us tied for 2nd after the first rotation)
Jason "Gold" *: 29.8 (which put us in first place by .4)
Rose "Dead Horse" *: 29.8 (which kept us in first place by .4)
Scott "They Hate Your Poem" *: 29.6 (which netted us the 1 ranking by .2)
This gave us a total ranking of 2 and we were headed into the finals!
The team ran off to hide for the two hours we had before Finals at a nearby Max & Erma's and tried to decompress.
At that point whatever happened in Finals was whatever happened, and we were fine with that. Of course, at this point, we didn't know that Vernell had made it to Indie Finals alongside six other poets!
FINALS
We got to the venue and were immediately met with "Hey, did you know Vernell's in indie finals?"
Uhhhhhh, no. So now it was about what could Vernell do that wouldn't hurt the team without sabotaging her significant feat of making it to Indie Finals.
As coach I decided that, since Indie Finals were happening right before team finals that indies should be foreplay to the team event; that whatever Vernell did there would translate into good will for the team (since the judges weren't likely to change between events, and they didn't with one or two exceptions, I think). So we went for the Indie gold:
INDIE FINALS
Clean slate, three rounds, 7 opets down to 5 down to 3.
First round
Alvin Lau - 29.5
Dan Vaughn - 29.1
Dave - 28.5
Vernell - 29.8 = "Skinny Girl"
Versiz - 29.2
Epiphany - 29.3
Will Evans - 29.7
Then (not in order)...
Alvin Lau - 30
Vernell - 30 = "Words"
Versiz - 29.9
Epiphany - 29.4
Will - 29.7
Then (not in order, but maybe it is)...
Alvin Lau - 30
Vernell - 29.7 = "Bootylicious"
Versiz - 30
Alvin and Versiz split the title!
I was so proud of Vernell, everyone was. She really showed range and sideboard heft, and her performances were really off the chain. She was in there swinging with the big boys and she held it down, baby.
I've got to get ready for work, so I'll cut to the chase on the team finals (which were HARD).
We kept second place in every rotation behind Detroit.
Vernell: Blood Diamond - 29.8
Rose: Pressure Switch - 29.5 (was a 50, but had a time penalty)
(I don't mind saying that Rose had the BEST performance all night of any poem on that stage here. I've seen it before, but not like that. That performance messed me up.)
Jason: Big Booties - 29.6
Scott: Comfort Woman - 29.8
(This poem wasn't in my sideboard, so I hope my team isn't mad at me for bending a rule. I just read the room a little differently in that moment, and well, the scores speak for themselves. I can read a room if nothing else.)
Finals Team rankings:
1st - Detroit (119.8)
2nd - Columbus - Writers' Block (118.7)
3rd - Columbus - Black Pearl (118.4)
4th - Chicago (116.8)
5th - DC/Baltimore (115.2)
Go Writers' Block! I love this team.
The Rust Belt is a special event, not like other major shows. That's because the midwest is not like other places. Adn becuase we have a nice fat influx of new blood at the organizer level, we're all starting to gel and really get to know one another. This netted us a warm, cordial event overall. I was happy to see so many poets and people whose company I enjoy, and I am honored to be hosting next year's event as well.
See you all in Austin!
* = Off paper.