Rock Rally attracts a full crowd Friday
Students sported their maroon and gold and could be heard chanting “CMU” and “Fire Up Chips” on Friday night.
And the performances hadn’t even began for the fourth-annual Chippewa Rock Rally, which packed Warriner Hall’s 1,200-seat Plachta Auditorium.
The 25 residents comprising the Trout Hall team took first place in the competition with their recreation of scenes from “Singing in the Rain,” “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Napoleon Dynamite.”
Madison Heights sophomore Christina Allen and Kalamazoo sophomore Laura Kragt planned and choreographed the routine.
“Laura and I have been planning for Homecoming since the beginning of the school year,” Allen said. “We wanted to make this a year to remember.”
Trout’s team had been practicing three hours a day since Oct. 8, said Allen, who attributed the groups’ win to several factors.
“We worked really hard, we had a big group and we had a lot of freshmen that were into it,” she said.
Houghton Lake freshman Michelle Fitzgerald said the practices were sometimes tiring, but definitely worth it.
“We put a lot of effort in,” Fitzgerald said. “But it didn’t feel like work at all.”
Although Trout resident and Davison junior Nick Varner did not participate, he said he jumped out of his seat when his residence hall was proclaimed the winner.
Members of On The Fly Productions, who finished in second place, said they weren’t disappointed by their second place finish, just excited to perform.
“The best part was staying up until the wee hours of the morning to practice,” said OTF member and Brighton freshman Ashley Kwasniuk.
Mount Pleasant Mayor Cynthia Bradley Kilmer served as one of the judges for the mock rock.
Kilmer attributed Trout’s win to creativity, choreography and spirit.
“There were some really talented acts,” Kilmer said. “It was lots of fun.”
