Rust Belt Regional -- Details, Part IV -- Drama and More Drama
Ann Arbor sends in Logic. Okay.... I'm a little nervous now. This guy has been upstaging all night, using all the kickers.... startin' his poems from his seat as soon as his name is called, using the center of the theater floor rather than stage, everything possible to get up close and personal with the audience, grab attention--Dude is a bag of tricks (fine poet, though)! Not to mention he had just won the Indie finals and is the crowd favorite.
(Now... a little back-story here: Logic wrecked his car or had car trouble, one or the other, on the WAY to Rust Belt from what I hear, and he NEEDED to win Indie Finals to help get his car repaired and returned to him. His car was apparently sitting in a repair shop or some such in Chicago. I assume his team had more than one or flew... don't know. Naturally, he's gonna walk into the place and "do what he gotta do" to make that money. For those of you who don't know it, Rust Belt Regional does offer cash prizes for 1st place, indie and team. It's been a small fundraiser for Columbus Nats team budget in past years.)
Okay... so... Logic blows up, hits a piece hard and gets a 29.0. I'm realizing at this point I needed to get a 28.6 or better to back my team. I had averaged 28.6 all day. Rose, whatever you go in with, you better DO the poem, girl. The room was electric... either that or I had a little tangible spiritual help (some of you know what I mean). Either way, I will never forget delivering that poem. And it scored 29.4 for the win, but get this:
Dasha begins announcing winners, "... in third place Madison with an 81.2. In second place with an 83.9, Columbus. And our new Rust Belt champions with a 85.0, Ann Arbor."
Now... hold the show, folks!
At this point, THANK GOD I have been on teams with Scott Woods and Ed Mabrey for the last couple of years. I had been following the bouts and keeping score all evening, and I protested and stopped Dasha before she brought Ann Arbor up to the stage. I was next to the scorekeepers, so I just took them my book. They rechecked all the scores and realized they had charged Columbus with Ann Arbor's time penalty. Logic (from Ann Arbor) came over there, agreed with me as well. He, too, had kept scores all night.
They confirmed the scores, Dasha gracefully apologized, and we (Columbus, Corn Field City) picked up the belt -- THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, WOO HOO!
What a tremendously exciting time!
Sudie? The man set in his ways, and wants to be right all the time. He clashed on and off with me and with Gina on the way home, but mostly with Gina. It turned into a healthy extended debate on the uses and validity of humor as poetic device, and why do so many Black poets write about bein' Black, and how you 'sposed to conduct fiduciary exchanges while in a moving car going at high speeds. Little Gina stood her ground her perspectives on the way back. I believe Sudie has a newfound sense of respect for Gina, but in her words, "Yes, but I'll always be 'the white girl.' " (There's a story in that, too; but -- maybe some other time.)
(Now... a little back-story here: Logic wrecked his car or had car trouble, one or the other, on the WAY to Rust Belt from what I hear, and he NEEDED to win Indie Finals to help get his car repaired and returned to him. His car was apparently sitting in a repair shop or some such in Chicago. I assume his team had more than one or flew... don't know. Naturally, he's gonna walk into the place and "do what he gotta do" to make that money. For those of you who don't know it, Rust Belt Regional does offer cash prizes for 1st place, indie and team. It's been a small fundraiser for Columbus Nats team budget in past years.)
Okay... so... Logic blows up, hits a piece hard and gets a 29.0. I'm realizing at this point I needed to get a 28.6 or better to back my team. I had averaged 28.6 all day. Rose, whatever you go in with, you better DO the poem, girl. The room was electric... either that or I had a little tangible spiritual help (some of you know what I mean). Either way, I will never forget delivering that poem. And it scored 29.4 for the win, but get this:
Dasha begins announcing winners, "... in third place Madison with an 81.2. In second place with an 83.9, Columbus. And our new Rust Belt champions with a 85.0, Ann Arbor."
Now... hold the show, folks!
At this point, THANK GOD I have been on teams with Scott Woods and Ed Mabrey for the last couple of years. I had been following the bouts and keeping score all evening, and I protested and stopped Dasha before she brought Ann Arbor up to the stage. I was next to the scorekeepers, so I just took them my book. They rechecked all the scores and realized they had charged Columbus with Ann Arbor's time penalty. Logic (from Ann Arbor) came over there, agreed with me as well. He, too, had kept scores all night.
They confirmed the scores, Dasha gracefully apologized, and we (Columbus, Corn Field City) picked up the belt -- THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, WOO HOO!
What a tremendously exciting time!
Sudie? The man set in his ways, and wants to be right all the time. He clashed on and off with me and with Gina on the way home, but mostly with Gina. It turned into a healthy extended debate on the uses and validity of humor as poetic device, and why do so many Black poets write about bein' Black, and how you 'sposed to conduct fiduciary exchanges while in a moving car going at high speeds. Little Gina stood her ground her perspectives on the way back. I believe Sudie has a newfound sense of respect for Gina, but in her words, "Yes, but I'll always be 'the white girl.' " (There's a story in that, too; but -- maybe some other time.)
posted by Rose | 12:43 PM
1 Comments:
Logic is ALWAYS genuine. If he gave you props, you earned 'em.
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