In case you are wondering I did not win the first ever online sanctioned US Air Guitar competition that happened last Saturday but I did come in 2nd! It was close and due to some major technical difficulties I had to compete in a 2nd round live and streaming not once, not twice BUT three times before the judges could present their scores. If you make it to a second round after scoring high enough with your first prepared round (in this format we sent in videos), one must then listen to a music track that they presumably have not heard before and then choreograph on the fly something amazing to elicit high scores... I was assured my first go WAS indeed amazing but that will have to be a myth like Sasquatch or The White Lady, the second wasn’t bad and the third which was FINALLY viewed virtually was not my best but good enough to tie for first place which would make the game go into overtime known in the air guitar biz as an air off of which I was soundly and swiftly beat... I am not sure if I will ever be able to listen to Skid Row the same again, ha! In an ESPN style the commentators interviewed the winner “Do you think Kara Picante had an advantage due to the technical difficulties?” Said the smarmy sunglass wearing Bob Costa. (Don’t quote my quote, I am too lazy to double check right now but it is indeed the gist.) The sweaty after only 2 rounds of air gymnastics 1st placer confirmed that yes, he thought that I had an advantage because I had been able to listen to the second round song more than once, basically doing me a favor. I am not going to lie, this actually really pissed me off. An unfortunate side effect of being a women is being condescended to, this is not necessarily on purpose but it is systemic. Who hasn’t heard the insult “run like a girl”? Along those kind of lines women are often looked at as lesser than a man, as a second place winner (okay, some would say first loser, I was never asked how I felt.) Now you might think I am sour grapes and don’t get me wrong I am super disappointed that technology failed me, that isn’t it. Let me be clear, I love air guitar and the community, all the genders and I don’t begrudge the official winner at all (okay, maybe a smidge, I will survive, ha) but there was just a feeling that I got, that I was expected to lose anyway. Now maybe this is just my own feelings of inadequacy but even so I don’t think I am totally wrong.
Though I did not officially win anything I did survive basically 4 sixty second sprints, after a year of cancer shenanigans, colostomy surgery, 2 abscess wound surgeries, radiation and 4 ongoing rounds of chemo, one session of which I did last week all after recently turning 50... If that is an advantage... Let’s face it, it is not an advantage but I think it may just qualify me as a tad punk rock, ha!
No worries and no hard feelings, I feel better than I have in years and I will still keep trying to achieve air greatness while trying to change some perspectives. What else do I have to do right now anyway? What else do any of us have to do? I vote to just keep trying to be better. Stand up for those that need us to. Challenge questionable beliefs and prejudice. Donate (if able) to worthy causes. I don’t know all the answers and I am immunocompromised and basically trapped in my house but I am just hoping for some happy outcome to the garbage pile that our country is turning into. From the ashes come the Phoenix... I am writing this outside as I hear intermittent booms and such from the small area downtown where peaceful protestors are bravely standing ground against the government bullies. I support them and the cause they are doing this for. So should you.
Hang in there. Until next time ❤️