After a great semi finals performance and much jubilation at our result and being back in WGI World Class finals for the 4th time, it was time to knuckle back down and get focused to prepare for an even stronger performance in front of the largest crowd the members would ever perform for. As Michael had said "You have made a promise...... now we have to follow through".
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| Last rehearsal of the year |
So back to rehearsal and this time we were in a local tennis club. WGI had told us that they had completely sold out of rehearsal space. Luckily we had seen a sign in the hotel door about the tennis club so called up and booked 3 hours. It was another focused rehearsal with 2 or 3 areas we wanted to look at. One of the most amazing things about this week has been the growth of the guard. In reality we have only had a total of 23 hours of rehearsal but the daily practice has built muscle memory and a level of consistency we haven't seen in the guard for quite some time. It gave the staff confidence that we will have a good show no matter what.
So after rehearsal it was back to the hotel for a few hours of down time and show prep. After some debate, the staff had decided to bring the guard back early to watch the last half of the Scholastic World Class finals so they could get comfortable with the size of the audience.
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| This pic gives you an idea of the size of the audience |
It also meant there was no chance of getting stuck in traffic again and rushing to get ready! Quite a few of the groups we watched had nervy performances, resulting in more drops than normal......until Tarpon Springs came on and totally dominated the class (eventually winning by over 3 points which is usually unheard of). Tarpon is also written by Michael Shapiro, and their version of New York, New York had the fans on their feet.
So Scholastic World finished and Mayflower's final show prep started. Very familiar by now. Check in....Body warm up....Equipment warm up... Top of tunnel and get your stuff sorted.... Down the ramp into the pre show holding area ... Final words from staff... Grab your stuff and head out on to the floor. The crowd reaction as Mayflower was announced was a deafening roar and the members were excited but focused as they entered one last time to 'leaving on a jet plane' to set up.
The guard had their best run of the season and one of the few standing ovations of the night (only to be bested by Black Gold - who won fan favourite and Pride of Cincinnati (eventual winners). The staff normally asks who had their best run of the year - and this time 90% of the guard raised their hands - you can't ask for more than that.
So onto retreat - an amazing experience for everyone and something great for all those who hadn't experienced it before. Hearing the announcer say "Mayflower is a 4 time WGI World Class finalist" had all the staff and supporters beaming with pride.
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| Retreat |
So onto the results and Mayflower ended up with their highest score and position (8th with a 89.5) in their history of WGI. We could not be happier and more proud (not 'Prouder' - Ceri Smith :-). We had a lot of fun on the floor and many pics were taken. Mayflower has made MANY fans with lots of high school girls 'fan girling' Mayflower, asking for pics etc. Barry asked the members to NOT bring their hat boxes and Louie cases back with them. As it turned out, it was not hard to get rid of them and many other guard members ended up taking the cases away as a memory of WGI.
Time to head back to the hotel and some partying. Whilst everyone was exhausted many parties went on to the early hours of the morning.
Tomorrow is a shopping day and a day to pack, reflect and celebrate before we fly home Monday.
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