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A recently published scientific survey claims that wearing red
gives participants in competition the winning edge. According to the
boffins red puts the opponents on the back foot. I doubt those behind
the survey tried out their theory on Sweet Adelines, but the Surrey
Harmony “ladies in red” are just thrilled to be wearing gold once again!
Is it me or is our Region 31 Convention just getting more exciting
every year? Whatever the “debate” over the marks, it seems the Region
just keeps on raising the game and this year was no exception.
It’s Surrey Harmony’s 5th gold medal, and it means different things
to different people. Take our Bass Margaret Fordyce who had to travel
around 12,000 miles to win her first gold medal. “I’ve been a Sweet
Adeline for more than 11 years, and my chorus in New Zealand has had a
number of second and third places, but has never won their Regional. I
am just thrilled to have won with Surrey Harmony, and am so excited
about the prospect of competing in Las Vegas”.
Some people have to wait a long time for gold. But for others it
comes in just a matter of months. In total Surrey Harmony had five new
members singing at Convention. One of them was Tenor Alison Walker. She
only joined Surrey Harmony in January and can’t believe that four months
later she’s wearing a gold medal. “I worked extremely hard to pass my
contest songs”, says Alison. “I was singing on every car journey, when
doing the housework and even wore headphones in bed. I was over the moon
when I was told I could compete. I was very nervous, but had lots of
help with my hair, my make-up and my nails. All I really had to worry
about was remembering the words and the choreography”
Among our many souvenir photos from Plymouth we have one of our
Director Jenny Lawson crying. It was from the moment she realised that
Dale Syverson was conducting the Rich Tone Chorus in “Quartet of
Nations” which Jenny composed. “I was sitting there wondering why I
recognised the chords, when it dawned on me,” says Jenny. “But it was
even more wonderful when I conducted it with Surrey Harmony behind me
and the rest of Region 31 in front of me. That was truly a moment to
cherish alongside the one when I realised we had won”.
Surrey Harmony was also very proud of our three
competing quartets “Zig-Zag”, “Vice Versa”
and “Hunky-Dory”. Our gold medal celebrations were tinged with sadness
however to learn that “Hunky-Dory” bass Inger Pilgaard - a former
Regional Management Team member – has decided to return to her native
Denmark. We shall miss her great voice, her wonderful smiley Adeline
face and most of all her great sense of fun. We wish her well for the
future.
So now “Sin City” beckons for Surrey Harmony. Any spare fund-raising
ideas anyone?
Sheena Kaighin
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