Amid cotton candy and Cracker Jacks, a showdown was taking place last night. It was not a baseball game - it was the Ohio University Idol competition at Jefferson Hall - and only one person could come out on top.
Each dining hall had a karaoke competition, and the winner from each competed in the finals, which coincided with Jeff Hall's baseball-themed dinner.
Ivann Parker was named the OU Idol. He won $200 in gift certificates for the Athens Chamber of Commerce.
Parker, an OU freshman from Woodridge, Va., sang Nice and Slow by Usher and I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness.
I got here at the last minute and hadn't practiced
and they told me to pick something quick he said. So I went with something I knew fairly well and rocked out from there.
Parker has been singing since the age of 2 and attributes his skill to his ability to mimic what he hears.
This is a new experience for me an eye-opening one
he said. I thought I could sing
but I never thought anyone appreciated it. It feels great.
Of the five finalists, only three attended the competition.
Amy Herrick, the winner from Nelson Dining Hall, sang When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues by Martina McBride and Crazy by Patsy Cline.
The Boyd Boys - Ma'tron Church, Taj Henley, Eric Mack and Charles Terry - performed Back That Azz Up by Juvenile and Damn! by Youngbloodz. The Boyd Boys worked to get the crowd into the songs and even pulled Eric Gregoire, who was dressed in a hot dog costume, up to the stage to dance with them.
Gregoire, a Jeff Dining Hall employee and OU junior, voluntarily donned the hot dog suit for the evening instead of working the salad bar as originally planned.
I came into the office and saw the suit and asked what it was about
Gregoire said. I just thought it would be funny.
Gregoire said he had a great time being the hot dog.
It was awesome because nobody knew who was in there
so I could dance around with people and have a good time
he said.
One of the problems with the suit, however, was the high temperature inside, Gregoire said.
It was so hot
he said. I kept having to go back and pull cups of water through the arm holes.
Gregoire, who has worked in Jeff for two and a half years, also enjoyed dancing with the Boyd Boys.
It was fun and cool because everybody was cheering
he said.
Nikki Ohms, Jeff Dining Hall's general manager said she was pleased with the outcome of the competition and the theme dinner.
I think it's one of the best ones we've had for a long time
she said.
