By Brecklyn Carey

This past Saturday, Jan. 25, 90 AHS show choir students participated in their first judged performance of the year at the Dallas Center­ Grimes Show Choir competition. The two choirs, varsity Premiere and junior varsity Diversity, traveled to compete against other 3A schools for a placing. The two choirs, directed by Jennifer Gaesser, faced difficult competition, and some students had concerns after the final rehearsal on Friday, Jan. 24.

Both choirs rehearsed the day before competition under the watching eyes of Jarrod O’Donnell, the AHS band director, for critique. However, many students didn’t need the comments from the band director to form their own opinions. Prior to Saturday’s competition, Premiere member senior Shelby McKinley said, “I feel like we could’ve done a whole lot better because what I saw from the back was some people wouldn’t even try and that’s really what’s killing us, is people don’t care in practices, and what happens in practices will happen in performances. Practice makes permanent.”

Junior Justin Somers is also in Premiere, and while anticipating the competition placings he said, “We are going to do alright I feel like, probably a bit better than last year. ‘BEAT PELLA,’ as everyone’s been saying. It’d be nice if we made it to finals.”

Diversity member sophomore Corgan Peterson said, “(Friday) was not one of our best rehearsals. It could’ve gone better. I feel like (DCG) should go good if we give it our all, and everyone’s on task.” Gaesser was excited for the competition, believing, “I think Premiere and Diversity are both going to do a very very great job. Both groups have been working hard and I push them hard, and I know I do, but I think that that’s a good thing because if we didn’t push, we wouldn’t always get better. I think they’re both going to do very well.”

Gaesser and the students came up with the motto “#BeatPella” as motivation to perform their absolute best while on stage.

At the competition, the choirs performed to the best of their ability. Diversity was the first to compete, featuring the songs “Life is a Highway,” “Takin’ Care of Business,” “I Can’t Fight This Feeling,” “Run the World,” and “Rockin’ the Paradise” with freshmen soloists Kasandra Brooks and Alex Williams.  Diversity received third place out of 3.

Premiere stepped out on the stage five hours later, performing the songs “Into the Night,” “The Letter,” “Your Song,” “Bad Case of Lovin’ You,” “Heartbreaker,” and “Fight for Love Melody.” Soloists included Zach Brooks and Sierra Smith in “Your Song,” Breanna Kixmiller in “Heartbreaker,” and Preston Hoye and Hannah Jesperson in “Fight for Love Melody.”

Somers reflected on Saturday’s performance: “We did alright. We had a lot more energy than normal, I think, but there were a lot more mistakes because we were at a competition. We just need to clean more.”

McKinely said, “I think we did pretty well, but there are things that we need to improve on. Our movements need to be sharper, and our faces brighter. We have to have energy or the judges get bored. This was our first competition of the year so I kind of expected it. Hopefully at our next competition we get our stuff together and get even closer as a team. #beatpella!”

Premiere received fifth out of five at the competition. However, Pella came in 4th place, so the choir motto  has since changed to “#(Almost)BeatPella.”  Gaesser was not available for comment on the shows’ Saturday performance.

Both groups will perform again Monday, Feb. 3 at the State Show Choir, which will be  hosted in Atlantic.