NPS 2005 Retrospective
Okay, so if you've been reading my blog or the listserv, you do know I came in 13th at NPS, right? Missed semi-finals--mostly due to a gawd-awful, low-scoring bout with wack judges on Night 1. I had the second highest score of the bout. Average score for our bout 1 was around 22.
In ANY OTHER venue, this bout would have seen scores 4 to 5 points higher on the average, likely putting my second place score anywhere from 28.8 to 29.3, possibly more, which would have placed me in the top ten. No sour grapes. I just have to face the realities of this slam mechanism. (The points are not the point. The point is poetry. -- Marc Smith)
There are other things that influence a poet's reception in a bout. Things like how well the poets before him/her did. How well the team as a whole is received and how each individual from that team is received--by other poets and by the crowd. I do know the other poets in Bout 2 were not giving it up for Columbus at all and that the crowd was there to see mostly west-coast poets. Other factors were also at play. 'Nuff said on that. But I make those observations to say this:
Some people will never respect my 13th place finish at National Poetry Slam 2005 because of the low raw score accrued. I refuse to care. I was there. I lived the bouts. I watched the two "from-unknown-non-poetry-country-can-you-even-hear-at-all" judges give wack scores all night long in our Bout 1. I know (well, at least I've been told over and over) how incredibly stunned the entire building was when I delivered my poem. I know I earned it. In any other venue that night, my score would have been better by four to five points--especially in a different context. That's good enough for me. I'm going to be honest with myself and say, "Rose, you earned that 13th place slot and better." And I'll leave it at that.
I feel fine about my contribution to the team. I just wish I could have shared the good vibes with them throughout our stay AND shared a semis stage with them again. Once we took that 5 in Bout 2, teammanship became even more difficult to maintain. Not for loss, though. Team Columbus forced me to come out of my shell and get to know other folks--and that's for the better. Long stories in there. I'd better shut up or get spanked.
I loved visiting Sandia Peak with Scott, Liz and Tracie. Highest altitude I've ever been to in my life. What a shame with so little time I had to make choices on whether to support people I am close to in order to do that. But one little mommie sandwich can't be everywhere at once.
Okay.... on to a new year. To NPS or NOT to NPS.... that is the question.
In ANY OTHER venue, this bout would have seen scores 4 to 5 points higher on the average, likely putting my second place score anywhere from 28.8 to 29.3, possibly more, which would have placed me in the top ten. No sour grapes. I just have to face the realities of this slam mechanism. (The points are not the point. The point is poetry. -- Marc Smith)
There are other things that influence a poet's reception in a bout. Things like how well the poets before him/her did. How well the team as a whole is received and how each individual from that team is received--by other poets and by the crowd. I do know the other poets in Bout 2 were not giving it up for Columbus at all and that the crowd was there to see mostly west-coast poets. Other factors were also at play. 'Nuff said on that. But I make those observations to say this:
Some people will never respect my 13th place finish at National Poetry Slam 2005 because of the low raw score accrued. I refuse to care. I was there. I lived the bouts. I watched the two "from-unknown-non-poetry-country-can-you-even-hear-at-all" judges give wack scores all night long in our Bout 1. I know (well, at least I've been told over and over) how incredibly stunned the entire building was when I delivered my poem. I know I earned it. In any other venue that night, my score would have been better by four to five points--especially in a different context. That's good enough for me. I'm going to be honest with myself and say, "Rose, you earned that 13th place slot and better." And I'll leave it at that.
I feel fine about my contribution to the team. I just wish I could have shared the good vibes with them throughout our stay AND shared a semis stage with them again. Once we took that 5 in Bout 2, teammanship became even more difficult to maintain. Not for loss, though. Team Columbus forced me to come out of my shell and get to know other folks--and that's for the better. Long stories in there. I'd better shut up or get spanked.
I loved visiting Sandia Peak with Scott, Liz and Tracie. Highest altitude I've ever been to in my life. What a shame with so little time I had to make choices on whether to support people I am close to in order to do that. But one little mommie sandwich can't be everywhere at once.
Okay.... on to a new year. To NPS or NOT to NPS.... that is the question.
posted by Rose | 10:44 AM
1 Comments:
to NPS! we must meet in Austin. it will ge no less than GRAND!
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