11 sing, dance their way to Worldwide Talent Contest honors

  • Published
  • By Steve Van Wert
  • Air Force Services Agency
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  Sixty-two active duty Airmen -- singers, dancers, musicians and technicians -- converged on Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, Nov. 5 through 13 for the annual Worldwide Talent Contest. By the end of the grueling week, 11 emerged as the best, taking home "Roger" awards for first place and "Wilco" awards for second place. They are:

Male Vocalist: Senior Airman Rick Rosales (first place) from Osan Air Base, Korea, and Staff Sgt. Keith Loudermill (second place) from Randolph AFB, Texas

Female Vocalist: Senior Airman Alicia Tucker (first place) from Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and Staff Sgt. Graciela Diaz (second place) from Schriever AFB, Colo.

Instrumentalist: Senior Airman Steve Froeber (first place) from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., and Staff Sgt. Michael Methven (second place) from Ellsworth AFB, S.D.

Vocal Self-Accompanied: Capt. Alexander Ruiz (first place) from Malmstrom AFB, Mont., and Staff Sgt. Rodney Mays (second place) from Aviano AB, Italy

Specialty: Airman Katrina Soler (first place) from Dyess AFB, Texas, and Airman 1st Class April Vollm (second place) from Dyess AFB

Top Tech: Airman 1st Class Matthew Armijo from Ramstein AB, Germany

Best of Show: Captain Ruiz from Malmstrom AFB

It took more than just talent to win Best of Show. It took nerve.

Captain Ruiz took a risk. The original video audition tape from this space and missile operations operator featured an instrumental version of "Sweet Georgia Brown." But once notified that he'd been selected to compete, the captain took a big chance and switched his contest category from Instrumentalist Solo to Vocalist Self-Accompanied.

His act, reminiscent of Louis Armstrong, included some intense vocals. His efforts paid off on the final night of the competition when he was awarded first place in his category and Best of Show.

"I was amazed at the combination of awesome talent and sense of family at the contest," he said. "We've all made friends who will last a lifetime."

Excited by her opportunity to compete, Airman Vollm, a C-130 Hercules loadmaster, decided to "go for it" by building a comedy act around magic, juggling and dance. From dancing toilet paper off her foot to juggling silk scarves, her unique act rewarded her talent and creativity and earned her a second place in the Specialty act category.

"This seven-day audition has been an unbelievable opportunity," she said. "It's a chance of a lifetime; there's nothing comparable to this on the outside."

A graduate of the University of Georgia, Airman Vollm cited programs like Tops In Blue as one of her top three reasons for joining the Air Force.

Air Force Worldwide Talent is a lot more than vocalists and musicians battling it out for the coveted Roger award. Behind the scenes a whole other type of competition was going on. This was the first year that contestants competed for "Best Tech." Technicians were brought in just like the contestants, but instead of performing on stage, they did their work backstage. They were stage hands, audio or video technicians, even lighting techs.

The contestants also participated in a program called "Giving Back," where they were coached by a prior Tops In Blue cast member and visited local area nursing homes, child development centers and hospitals.

In addition to competing for Worldwide Talent Contest honors, the Airmen also were auditioning for a spot on the famous Tops In Blue roster. Selections for the 2007 Air Force Anniversary Tour will be made Nov. 30. Selectees will report to Lackland AFB to begin their staging period in January and will hit the road in the early spring.

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