Some profound insight, often garnished with random rants, tirades and left-field comments, from a cook turned teacher
The Road through Kansas City, Part 3
The team's first glimpse of competition hall:
Busy, buzzy day! We fluttered, we flapped… we sweat. Over 100-degrees, for real! But, the vibe, the pulse is very much charged. I am, anyhow. I can’t help but stay firmly in the clenches of the enthusiasm that hangs like the sultry night air that hovers at this late hour. I like to be part of this rush; contest sponsors running around with arms wrapped around necessary supplies; vendors bouncing around with freebies; students dazed with heads full of times, locations, competition details and scoping out the social scene that is that much more charged with hormonal sustenance given the sweat and swelter.
Today’s focus locked in on just getting ready and ‘officially’ cracking the competitions open during the formal ceremony. And calling that mêlée a ceremony is much akin to calling a high school prom a waltz. It is a loud, lightshow-filled hoopla that brings big donors to the center of the stage, speeches of unparalleled inspiration and thunderous rumbles from minions of contestants. Exactly what it should be.
Tomorrow brings Samantha and Malissa’s (see yesterday’s blog for background) contest to the forefront. A year worth of preparation; make or break in fifteen minutes under the microscope.
During an exploration of a remarkably deco building, I stumbled upon a door I had not previously come across. No air of caution and even less concern for getting in trouble, given that I can claim tourist ignorance, I ventured forth. What I discovered was a 2,000-seat theater located above one of the competition halls. Remarkably deco in design and undisturbed with modernizing renovations, Samantha, Malissa and Melissa snapped a few shots of this glorious time capsule. I was pleasantly reassured with the captivating interest these youngins’ had in discovering this behemoth relic. Nothing to do with competition, but some great time shared as a team, as teacher and students, as a quartet of adventurers making a pleasant unearthing. The crushed, red velvet seats were a welcome respite for my gently throbbing, well-trodden toes.
Cold, microwave pizza and flat soda ended the day, with students afoot and sprawled throughout the room and hallways. And that is good.
Busy, buzzy day! We fluttered, we flapped… we sweat. Over 100-degrees, for real! But, the vibe, the pulse is very much charged. I am, anyhow. I can’t help but stay firmly in the clenches of the enthusiasm that hangs like the sultry night air that hovers at this late hour. I like to be part of this rush; contest sponsors running around with arms wrapped around necessary supplies; vendors bouncing around with freebies; students dazed with heads full of times, locations, competition details and scoping out the social scene that is that much more charged with hormonal sustenance given the sweat and swelter.
Today’s focus locked in on just getting ready and ‘officially’ cracking the competitions open during the formal ceremony. And calling that mêlée a ceremony is much akin to calling a high school prom a waltz. It is a loud, lightshow-filled hoopla that brings big donors to the center of the stage, speeches of unparalleled inspiration and thunderous rumbles from minions of contestants. Exactly what it should be.
Tomorrow brings Samantha and Malissa’s (see yesterday’s blog for background) contest to the forefront. A year worth of preparation; make or break in fifteen minutes under the microscope.
During an exploration of a remarkably deco building, I stumbled upon a door I had not previously come across. No air of caution and even less concern for getting in trouble, given that I can claim tourist ignorance, I ventured forth. What I discovered was a 2,000-seat theater located above one of the competition halls. Remarkably deco in design and undisturbed with modernizing renovations, Samantha, Malissa and Melissa snapped a few shots of this glorious time capsule. I was pleasantly reassured with the captivating interest these youngins’ had in discovering this behemoth relic. Nothing to do with competition, but some great time shared as a team, as teacher and students, as a quartet of adventurers making a pleasant unearthing. The crushed, red velvet seats were a welcome respite for my gently throbbing, well-trodden toes.
Cold, microwave pizza and flat soda ended the day, with students afoot and sprawled throughout the room and hallways. And that is good.
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