Show Choir Nationals

Nashville, Tennessee. The greatest city in the nation hands down, host of the 2016 Show Choir Nationals. This competition is a big deal for us here at Kennedy because we only go once every two years, and we get to express ourselves and our talent on a national level. This year was especially important because we had to a lot to prove, and it would be the last time for all of us.

Nothing compares to Show Choir Nationals. The groups are all spectacular and you leave the venue happy no matter the outcome. Obviously we all want to do well and be able to make finals, but with a competition so stiff just being able to perform next to the greatest groups in the nation is an honor. Going into our trip we as a group expected our best performance of the year and our goal was to make finals, but whether we admit it or not we all had a thought in the back of our heads that we weren't going to make it. We didn't make finals for the first time in eleven years earlier in the year at our Davenport competition so considering we were at nationals, doubt is definitely in the back of our minds. But one thing I do know is that the doubt in the back of our minds didn't come through during our opening performance because we were lucky enough to do it twice. We made the finals!

Now let me back track and describe what happened leading up to those results.

It was 2:15am and we line up at Kennedy High School ready to experience the most memory filled four days of our lives. Most of us were up since the previous morning knowing we would fall asleep instantly once we started our bus ride. I was up for 23 consecutive hours, but I couldn't wait to arrive in Nashville, Tennessee. Once we finally arrived after our never-ending bus ride, we entered paradise. It started with our hotel. What an incredible place! From the outside it looked like a palace and on the inside it was like its own city. The Gaylord Opry Hotel. Home to 3500 rooms and is the heart of tourism in Nashville. Conveniently this hotel is located about 2 blocks away from the Grand Ole Opry, which is an even better marketing opportunity for them because people who go to the Opry house have an easily accessible place to stay for a couple days. This hotel was remarkable! I've never been to such set up, and the space inside of it was second to none. From the outside it looks as big as the white house, but on the inside it is as big as 3 NFL football stadiums.

The experience at Show Choir Nationals was unforgettable. We made finals which made our entire season. The joy I saw on people's faces was pure happiness, and for the second time of the year we actually represented our group's name. Along with doing our best show ever, we also saw state of the art show choirs, in Los Alamitos and Clinton Attache. Those choirs are ranked number 1 and 2 in the nation, and to share the same stage and make finals with one of them shows a lot about our program at Kennedy High School. We strive for excellence and besides our sports, our art programs achieve the same motto.

Nationals brought our group together and ended our year on a high note. The four days were some of the best days of my life and I wouldn't trade them for anything. As Mr. Ziegler said at the beginning of the trip, "This trip is about you guys. I want you all to have fun and compete at a very high level, but most importantly I want so many memories to occur. I watched Inside Out on the way here, and my goal is for everyone to make three or four gold ball memories." I for sure lived up to his words and made some of the best memories of my life up to date, on those four days in Nashville, Tennessee.