Broadcaster Press 7 March 10, 2015 www.broadcasteronline.com n rhythm, From Page 3 After a morning of performances last Saturday, division results were announced. The division awards were as follows: Prep division2nd place- Aberdeen Central, Special Request 1st place- Sioux Falls Washington, Natural Selection Class A division2nd place- Elk Point-Jefferson, Momentum 1st place- Groton Prismatic Sensations Class AA division1st place- Wahoo, Royalty Class AAAA division 2nd place- Sioux Falls Washington, Classic Connection 1st place- Aberdeen Central, Eagle Express Best Male soloist was awarded to Jacob Nikolas from Central High School in Aberdeen. Best Female soloist went to Macy Knecht of Groton High School. Eagle Express from Central High School in Aberdeen won best combo. Jacob Nikolas, who won best male vocalist, said the award came as a surprise. “Everybody definitely competed well,” he said. “It’s hard to tell with so many good groups. We really wanted to do well and then when we did it’s like a relief off your shoulders.” Nikolas’ group, Eagle Express from Aberdeen, won several awards including Grand Champion at the end of the night. Just like other groups, they felt pressure but Nikolas said he has learned how to handle it. “I’ve been in varsity sports ever since I was a freshman so pressure has always been a big thing that I’ve had to deal with,” he said. “I say seize the moment and go for it. Don’t hold back because if you hold back, that’s not going to help you succeed.” This is Nikolas’ first year in Eagle Express. “It’s amazing to be quite honest,” he said. Nikolas said he enjoys visiting Vermillion, having been here before for football games and also has the University of South Dakota in his sights to study either physical therapy or law. The evening consisted of performances by the finalists after which Rhythm in Red took the stage while the judges made their decision. Lookin’ Left, Right: Trial Looking Good Downtown All things considered, it looks like the intersection under study at Main St. and Center/Court Streets is best left light-less. “The great majority of the comments we’re receiving are complimentary,” said City Engineer Jose Dominguez. “People are commenting that they like it, it’s more efficient, it takes time off their daily commute and it’s easier for them to make turns.” According to Dominguez, only two or three negative comments have been received by the city. “Those typically have to do with it being more difficult or dangerous for pedestrians, vehicles having trouble backing from parking spots on Main St. and there’s a notion that speeding has also increased.” Several of these problems, Dominguez said, will correct themselves once the intersection project is actually completed. “We are going to increase the size of the bump-outs (curb extensions),” he said. “When you do that, drivers have a perception that the road is narrower and they slow down automatically. That should take care of the speeding issue. It should also help the pedestrian crossing issue because we decrease the crossing distance because the bump-outs are larger.” The issue of backing out of parking spots, Dominguez said, is not a problem with the lights, but more of a bad habit of the driver. “They weren’t looking at the traffic to see if it was open,” Dominguez said. “They were looking at the signal and if there was a red light, they would back out. They’re not doing what they’re supposed to do which is looking for another car coming.” The solution for this, Dominguez said, is for drivers to simply get used to the change. This learning curve has been expected since before the initiation of the trial run. The city is making the most of the trial run and learning as much as they can themselves. “Once this whole thing is done we’ll have a lot of data,” Dominguez said. “We’ll have data on speed, accidents and volume to see if they have changed in the area.” n Intersection, Page 9 The final results were as follows: 4th runner up- Natural Selection 3rd runner up- Royalty 2nd runner up- Prismatic Sensations Best choreography- Eagle Express Best vocals- Classic Connection 1st runner up- Classic Connection Grand Champion- Eagle Express Parents showed their support for the choirs throughout the day in multiple ways. Some like Susie Wasley help run the actual event. “This year we have fewer groups but they are so respectful,” Wasley said. “They know what they’re supposed to do. It’s really easygoing. We’ve volunteered at every competition we’ve had. We go to every competition. We’re chaperoning the trip to Chicago.” Wasley’s son, Matthew, is in his fourth year with Rhythm in Red and was helping backstage during the competition. “He checks the mics in between each performance and they make sure they have everything that they need backstage,” Wasley said. Wasley’s husband also helped at the event on Saturday by helping backstage. Parents could also submit a ‘shout-out’ to their shining stars that were read before each group’s performance by emcees Burbach and Olson with plenty of expression and friendly banter. Shout-outs to Rhythm in Red included both serious and satirical. “To the show choir from the show band: we are behind you every step of the way,” one read. “I was told by your mom to write something embarrassing but I won’t,” another read. “Keep being you. Some shout-outs brought blushes. “To Joel from your fan club,” one read. “You are the most beautiful creature to ever grace this earth.” Wasley and her husband were among those to send a shout-out to her son. “It has been a fun 4 years,” they wrote. “Thanks, now go to college.” For the most part, shout-outs were simply sincere. Rhythm in Red as a group sent a shout-out to their director, Fisher. “You are the best,” they wrote. “We love you.” In some of Fisher’s closing comments, she shared those sentiments. “My kids are my kids,” she said. “I have a seven year old VERMILLION TOWNSHIP EQUALIZATION MEETING Wednesday, March 18 , 2015 7:00 PM th and a two year old and I love them too but these students are awesome. I can’t get better than that.” There were many examples of the students supporting each other in their performances even being from different schools. According to Brady, even though each team had a room to retire to and rest between performances, many chose to watch other teams from the audience in the auditorium to show support. “We’re all from around here so we know each other,” she said. “There’s not really any intense competition in show choir unless you go to a really big competition. We’re all pretty much just there for each other.” Students were not the only ones to enjoy seeing familiar faces. “You really get to see everybody at their best and meet all the parents,” Wasley said. “It’s a fun day.” Though the day was slightly chaotic, it was less so than years past when there have been more teams competing, up to 20 according to Brady. “There was one year we started at like 8:00 in the morning and they went every 30 minutes,” Brady said. “It was a long day.” Though Rhythm in Red did not receive critiques for Tell them you saw it in the their performance, they still learned things in other ways throughout the day. Natalie Swanson was another Rhythm in Red host. “When I see somebody who nails something I take that as inspiration,” she said. “I want to nail it like that. I take what I see and bring it into my performance later. It motivates me.” For more information on Rhythm in Red visit www. vermillion.k12.sd.us/ or follow them on Facebook. www.broadcasteronline.com Broadcaster! Tell them you saw it in the Broadcaster! 624-4429 Tell them you saw it in the Broadcaster! 201 W. Cherry, Vermillion 624-4429 www.broadcasteronline.com March Tell them you saw it in the Fabrics On Sale Broadcaster! Prices Good March 2-31 $ 201 W. Cherry, Vermillion (Includes Prints & Solids) $ 624-4429 $ Clay County 4-H Center 515 High Street, Vermillion A written request to Appeal must be delivered to the Township Clerk by Thursday, March 12, 2015. Request must include parcel number. Jackie Williams, Clerk 31536 Princeton Ave. Vermillion, SD 57069 $ 2 www.broadcasteronline.com $ $ . $ 2