The crowd in the Ground Zero auditorium erupted in applause when the emcees announced the winners of the West Sequoia League (WSL) talent show, Feb. 26. The competition featured 15 acts from seven schools that presented an array of musical performances.
Due to a discrepancy in judging methods, the contestants were separated into two divisions, yielding two first, second and third place winners.
Emcees Natalie McCallum and John Dinsdale, both seniors, crowned first-place winners Intertwine, a seven-person band from Caruthers High School who performed “How He Loves Us” by Kim Walker, and Yvonne Morales, a solo vocalist from Tranquillity High School, who sang Jessica Simpson’s version of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.”
The second-place groups were Scott Baltezore and Carlos Mendoza, a duo from Dos Palos High School who presented “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz, as well as a tie between Analog, a band from Fowler High School who performed “A Beautiful Lie” by 30 Seconds to Mars, and campus junior Gerald Bell with a drum solo.
In third place were Mind Trap, a band from Mendota High School who played an original song, and a group from FC, comprised of seniors Andrew Rurik, Shane Darakjian and junior Tyler Duerr, who performed Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida.”
“‘Don’t screw up’ went through my mind as I performed,” sophomore Natalie Garcia, the lead singer of Intertwine, said. “I was very nervous, and I was sick ? a sore throat doesn’t help with singing. I thought Coldplay [Rurik, Darakjian and Duerr] would win, but I’m happy.”
A three-judge panel composed of faculty members Robert Foshee, Brianne Raymer and Greg Stobbe scored the performances from the other schools. The results from the other competitions at Fowler High School and Caruthers High School were then added to the judges’ scores to determine the winners of the WSL talent show.
“It was so exciting to watch the show this year from a judge’s perspective,” Raymer, ’06 alumnna and current yearbook adviser, said. “It forced me to really concentrate on and evaluate each performance. In my experience, this was the best talent show Fresno Christian has ever put together.”
The fourth performer of the event, Caruthers senior Morgan Wenter, elevated the crowd when he initiated a war using glow sticks. Student leadership members provided the crowd with the glow sticks in accordance with the “Space with Bass” theme.
“I played and played … and the glow-stick war was just a perfect opportunity,” Wenter said. “You get the vibe ? and it was a glow-stick vibe.”
Despite being disqualified for playing different songs at each venue, Wenter remained loyal to his entertaining style. He also worked the crowd with jokes throughout his performance.
“It was worth it to get disqualified,” Wenter said. “I’ve won before, but we played the same song over and over. I’d rather just go in and have fun.”
Other contestants tested the receptiveness of the audience, including first-place winner Morales, who serenaded several guys as she meandered the aisles of the auditorium.
“By her singing to me, she won first place,” senior Scott Orcutt, who received the first delivery from Morales, said. “Without me, she would have failed ? I’m joking. It was awkward, but it was worth it ? it was entertaining.”
Student leadership members spent two hours decorating the auditorium the night before to include a banner for each school consistent with the competition’s theme.
“It was worth all the work because it looked so nice when it was done,” junior Sarah Barnett, student leadership member, said. “I thought it [the talent show] was really good this year. ”
In addition to the decorations, many recognized the talent of the individuals who performed.
“In my experience, this was the best talent show Fresno Christian has ever put together,” Raymer said. “The leadership class did such a professional job, and the talent was amazing!”
For more information on the talent show, visit the Feb. 25 article, Campus to host WSL talent show.
