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Oh, folks, this was an incredible event, our annual TEAM FINALS! We had a packed house (of course!) and raised our most funds ever for our team! The poetry and performances were stellar, in part because the scores remained close and competition was HEATED! Also, in part because these poets simply do not know how to compete half-assed.
---Before announcing the team, THANKS go out to all our volunteers, our staff, to ALL THE POETS who competed for the team this year. The Berkeley slam has gone through major changes this season and emerged re-invigorated, stronger, and better attended! This is in no small part due to our loyal and supportive fans, who make all this possible! Thank you for your support!
---High score of Round 1 went to Christian, though props should be given to Laura Yes Yes, who drew the “A”, performed a new poem, and STILL boosted scores up to a 27.3, minimizing score creep. Our judges took their jobs seriously, most kept track of the scores, so both “7’s” and “10’s” were handed down clear through the finale.
---High score of R2 went to Abe, who absolutely RIPPED his piece, “Psychiatric Drugs” and moved into first place by a tenth of a point! On his heels, Christian and Jason Bayani. Bayani also had a break-out performance with “35 To The Ocean”, but suffered a .5 time penalty. Things looked grim for Laura Yes Yes and Joyce, both of whom were considered major contenders but languished in 6th & 7th, respectively. Matt Blesse moved into 5th and The Poet “I” held on to 4th.
---In R3, nothing less than a heart-stopping performance and scintillating writing would cut the mustard. It was also in this round where we got to see some of our talented newcomers falter, as they simply didn’t have enough major works to survive the brutal qualifying process. There were essentially two battles going on: Abe, Christian, and Bayani for the win; Blesse, Laura, and Joyce fighting for 5th and a berth on the team.
---High score of R3 and the night went to Christian for “Blood Bank”, 29.8, giving him 1st and the Coveted Golden Macaroni Belt. Bayani’s “Tigres & Euphrates” earned a 29.5 and gave him 2nd overall. Had he not gotten a time penalty... Abe earned one of the night’s top scores, but in this rarified environment it was only enough to earn a very respectable 3rd. Poet “I” confirmed everyone’s predictions by remaining solid throughout and finishing 4th with “Case Of The Mondays”. Laura praised “The Body Beautiful” and made the team, barely! In her own words, it was the hardest she’s ever worked in a slam! Here are the numbers:
----- Christian: 28.3, 27.6, 29.8 =85.7 Jason: 27.5, 28.4, 29.5 =85.4 (-.5 time) Abe: 27.4, 28.6, 28.5 =84.5 “I”: 27.5, 27.8, 28.1 =82.9 (-.5 time) Laura: 27.3, 26.5, 28.6 =82.4 --------- Matt: 27.4, 26.6, 27.1 =81.1 Joyce: 27.5, 26.1, 27.2 =80.7 Andrew: 25.1, 26.8, 27.6 =79.5 Dre: 26.0, 25.5, 27.3 =51.5
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