Toast of Tampa

What a high!, winning international 6th Place and Most Entertaining Chorus Awards.

The altitude in Calgary had little to do with the thrill everyone experienced as — for the second year in a row — Gulf-Atlantic Coast Region 9 took home the title of worlds Most Entertaining Chorus, from the Sweet Adelines International competition in late 2007.

2006 was the first year an audience favorite award was given.... and Region 9’s Spirit of the Gulf earned the honors and trophy. This past year in Calgary, the Toast of Tampa’s wonderfully themed tribute of selected songs from the great American musical, The Music Man, in the second round set really impressed the audience. TOT claimed this coveted title for a second time for Region 9, creating a new tradition to stand by.

How is the selection made for this unique "Most Entertaining" award?

Prior to the start of the final round of competition, hundreds of audience members are randomly selected upon entering the arena, and given ballots to vote on their favorite chorus from those top ten choruses participating. At the end of the competition those ballots are gathered and tallied, and the winner is announced.

What does this award mean to the members of the Toast of Tampa?

Gloria Churchill of St. Petersburg, FL and a corporate trainer working in Tampa put it this way:

“As a member of Toast of Tampa, I can fulfill my lifelong dream of being a performer of the highest caliber. Winning the audience award means we won the hearts of our audience with our joy of barbershop. The standing ovations were worth all of the time and work that went into our performance. Being in the spotlight with 107 friends was one of the shining moments in my life!”

John Marsh, husband of chorus member Mary Marsh of Brandon, calls himself a “groupie husband” and felt that Toast of Tampa once again represented Region 9 superbly well. “These oh-so-Sweet Adelines raised goose bumps with their magnificent vocal harmonization”.

In the Heat of the Action...

There was definitely excitement in the air from the moment the chorus arrived in Calgary. This was the first time Toast of Tampa had performed with its new director, Tony DeRosa, and no one quite knew what to expect. Tony’s proclivity to excellence and humor helped the chorus keep its focus, with a great sense of family and a whole lot of fun.

He had told the members he was quite happy with our progress in the ten months he has been directing TOT; however, it wasn’t until the retreat four weeks before competition, with coach Dale Syverson, that Tony finally felt that the chorus had a chance to place in the top ten to perform their 15-minute, second set package.

On the day of the finals — after meeting our first goal of making top ten — Tony’s brought tears to everyone’s eyes through his heartwarming comments over breakfast. He honored the success of the group by allowing three members of the chorus to wear his previously earned gold medals on stage.

Our Special Thanks

Kudos to our coaches Dale Sylverson and Karen Breidert who invested plenty of time in the preparation for success. Our hats are especially off to Debbie Connelly for her unbelievable creativity and hard work putting together a magnificent script and on the writing of the classic parodies.

Of course, our gratitude and tribute are also especially extended to our “music man”, Tony. One of the judges so aptly wrote on the score sheet: “so shy…you must learn to enjoy performing more!” Yes, Tony, you really need to enjoy that just a little bit more, especially with Region 9’s own Toast of Tampa for many years to come.

Article by Julie Kelly - originally written for NineOnLine, January 2008 issue.