GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- On April 24, 2020, Crossroads hosted a virtual talent show on Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas.
With social distancing practices in place, the Crossroads Talent Show was rescheduled to April and made entirely virtual, which came with a slew of new challenges.
“It was challenging trying to coordinate with the participants due to their accelerated graduation dates,” said Crossroads Coordinator, Jessica Cox. “Some of our participants graduated weeks in advance, which meant they wouldn’t be able to attend. Others had a change in their school hours, so they had to drop out as well. Trying to coordinate judging was also a challenge in regards to how we would have the judges do that virtually.”
On Goodfellow, many events were canceled for safety reasons. Large gatherings presented a health risk to service members, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends individuals avoid large gatherings and maintain six feet between them. The Crossroads team was left with an obstacle, hosting a morale-building event without putting members at risk.
“So many events had to be canceled for the students that we wanted to find a way to allow this event to continue,” said U.S. Air Force Chaplain Robert Chandler, Crossroads chaplain. “The contestants worked hard preparing, and we wanted them to have the opportunity to showcase their talents. We also want to provide some form of normal for overall student morale and an opportunity for entertainment.”
Ultimately the team decided on Zoom to host the virtual talent show so the performers could interact with a virtual audience. However, after extensive testing, people could not connect to the show. At the last second, the talent show had to go live on Facebook. A total of 163 viewers attended the stream on and off base.
The virtual show allowed families to see their loved ones perform and give them a sense of being there. Supportive comments and cheers were present throughout the stream and made for a lively audience.
After a lengthy discussion, jokes that were so bad they were good, and a few technical difficulties, the judges, Senior Master Sgt. David Weaver, and his wife, Roberta Stephens, ranked the three performances.
Airman 1st Class Michael Bachand, 315th Training Squadron student won third place with a ukelele cover of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. Bachand stunned the crowd with his ending falsetto.
Airman 1st Class Nicholas Fegeley, 316th Training Squadron student, came in second place with an acapella cover of Baltimore by Hodera, Fegely kept in key the entire song, something nearly impossible, as noted by Stephens.
Achieving first place with an original piece, “What You Mean” Airman 1st Class William Barner, 315th TRS student, and Airman 1st Class Israel Kelley, 316th Training Squadron student. The song consisted of dueling drums and even a piano. Their banter and quick drumming won the hearts of the audience.
In this time of crisis, having a small sense of normalcy is a gift. Hearing students still singing and telling bad jokes, in light of current events, brings us together as a community.
Congratulations to the winners, and thank you for your performances!