Rust Belt Regionals 2005 -- Details Part I

Well... Kimberly asked for details.... give us details.

Girl, there's too much to tell. We got there a lot later than planned and barely had time to use the bathroom before the draw. Contrary to some folks' expectations, everyone on the team took coaching very well. Gina and Tiffani were okay with things, whether they got to read or not.

Heavy Blackness rolling around in about 35% of the poetry, but especially that first bout. Sudie went in with his poem about burying the hatchet between the races and scored a solid 27.1. The plan was to send Gina in next if it felt right, but we ended up sending Tiffani instead, with her Woman of Another poem (the angry one about her Dad). She hit it with passion and scored a 29.4--exactly the type of score I'd expected for her with this piece and the audience in that place. Lamentable, though--at this point, we'd pretty much run most of the "not yet slam-hardened" members of the audience away.

Round 3, Rose falls victim to an incorrect rotation sheet (that had been given to her). It showed us going last, and we were actually first in the round instead. Dasha called on us when I was not nearly ready--and it showed. I hit the stage with A Good Wine in my hand (paper). The moment I hit the stage, I was wishing I'd left the paper at my seat. Holding it basically committed me to doing that piece and Tell Mary was bubbling up on the inside. I took a second or two to make a decision, and it probably convinced the judges I wasn't ready. I did the paper poem, stuttered, scored a 28.6 but went 2 seconds over for a 28.1. Bad Rose. Very bad Rose! Columbus ahead 1.3.