Wombat in Philly

[BRWombat]

As the song closes, there are hugs all around, and not just among the family members, but among the men of VM as well. Our chorus has always talked about itself as a family, and it's never felt more like one to me than it does now.

Jim calls on one of our members to lead us in a prayer and then we'll sing God Be With You ('Till We Meet Again) to close the evening, with our families still on the risers. And in a moment of unintentional comedy, we're told casually, "Oh, and the boxes of silver medals are right there. Pick one up on your way out."

So much for ceremony -- but then, it feels right. For all our work, for all the endless hours together, for all the sore muscles and stress and sleepless nights in preparation for this contest, the medal isn't the payoff. What we are experiencing right now is the true payoff: Brotherhood. Family. Love.

Last year, I was so exhausted after the loss that I wasn't sure I could put myself through another year's work to get up to contest quality. This year is completely different. Yes, I'm tired, though not as tired as last year. I'm disappointed in the silver, sure. But I come away from this contest richer in love and friendship, and I can't wait until our rehearsals resume in August. I just can't wait to see my other family again. I can't wait to learn more music, perfect more moves, put on more shows, and touch the hearts of our listeners over and over and over again. And if in Kansas City next year we should win a championship while doing that, fine. I come away from Philadelphia with love and brotherhood among my chorus-mates, a deeper appreciation of my dear wife and wonderful sons, and a heart overflowing with gratitude to God for the many ways He continues to bless my life.

And that, I wouldn't trade for any medal.

[DisneyMom]

Wombat, your story couldn't be more perfect, How Many of us ever get a moment like that?
This is what makes you a TRUE champion, you are loving your Family and your Life. :)

[DragonFox98]

Wombat,

I loved reading about these gold medal moments. I believe moments #2 and 3 were particularly touching. I'm so happy you were able to experience these moments and that you are looking forward to another year of rehersal and competition with your second family.

A word of advice: beware of heat waves in KC in the summer! :D:

[ktulu]

One day I'll make it to a rehearsal. Probably when the kids are grown and Wombat is retired

[PatchOBlack]

I have to hand it to you, Wombat, your posts about your remarkable trip to Philly were very entertaining to read. As the young folks are known to say: you, sir, are "full of win". And hopefully cheesesteaks as well. :cat1:

[Main Streeter]

One day I'll make it to a rehearsal.

Oh Ktulu. you could take your beautiful 5 yr. old. She's well behaved & will be almost 6 by next spring. After thinking this over.... 5 yr. old is much better behaved than you are. ;)

[Purpura]

Oh Ktulu. you could take your beautiful 5 yr. old. She's well behaved & will be almost 6 by next spring. After thinking this over.... 5 yr. old is much better behaved than you are. ;)

I agree :D

[BRWombat]

Seriously, ktulu -- bring the whole family! No excuses! :D:

Thanks again all for the nice comments. I love writing about this stuff, mainly because I wish all of you my SGT friends could be with me and experience what I get to on a regular basis. Since you can't, I at least try to give you a taste of it in writing!

BTW, one more moment to share. It didn't rank with the previous ones, but it may be my favorite comment I've ever received after one of our performances.

This happened right after our contest set. I had exited the backstage area and gone out into the public hallway, and hundreds of people were streaming out of the seating area -- apparently, many of them came that morning just to see us. I was going to head into the arena to sit with my family, but was being slowed by the outgoing crowd -- not just because of the numbers, but because so many of them were grabbing my tux sleeve and stopping me to tell me what they thought of our performance. I was feeling like a rock star with those, but I was also getting several who just grabbed on and tried to say something but were too moved to form words -- I'm assuming our ballad "If I Ruled the World" had impacted them hard. (Which is exactly what we were going for!)

Finally I got past the bulk of the crowd and entered the darkened arena, but there were a few stragglers still coming out -- and I actually recognized a couple of the guys walking towards me, even though I'd never met them. They were from a quartet (that ended up in our top 5 this year) calling themselves the Musical Island Boys, from New Zealand. (We do not exaggerate when we call this contest "international.")

Anyway, the first of them grabbed my hand, looked me in the eye, and in an unmistakable Kiwi accent blurted, "Good on ya, Chief!"

Like I said, my favorite compliment ever. :D:

[BRWombat]

Hey, I was just sent some YouTube links you may enjoy. No, not our contest set... sadly, since we didn't win, the Society likely won't pursue getting a license to post that. These are videos from a late-night party on Saturday night of the convention, a gathering of VM with our buds in the Ambassadors of Harmony in our rehearsal room at the Loews Philadelphia.

Unfortunately, since I was driving the next morning I ducked out of the party early to get some sleep, before everyone gathered on the risers, so I'm not in these videos. (Since AoH and VM fit on the risers together, I'm sure I wasn't the only one to miss this!)

Ambassadors of Harmony - America
Ambassadors and VM combined - Harmony

Ambassadors and VM combined - I'll Walk With God

Enjoy!