Author Victor Hugo once said, “The ode lives on the ideal, the epic on the grandiose.” But there was nothing grandiose about the Epic Whites’ dream of fending off a blue invasion at the 65th Annual Sing. Although the Blue Invaders took to the front lines with an Entrance that let their presence be known, in a fairy tale ending that involved a near sweep, the Epic Whites captured the top scores in Set, Costumes, March, Theme, and Alma Mater to emerge victorious.
Perhaps the most crowd stealing moments of the evening, though, were the odes to Sings past. If odes live on ideals, then the annual Sing competition is an ode to Starlight ideals. All five judges of the 65th annual Sing—Jason Glick (Magic White), Scott Beigel (Blue Hawaii), Nora Greene (Prime Time Blues), Megan Panelas (Song Writer-Wild West Whites), and Mauricio Campos (Blue Crunch)–were former Sing leaders or song writers themselves. They each shared a judge’s book and a tune from the year that they lead their team in one of the biggest and most anticipated events held at Camp Starlight each summer. The power of seeing campers and counselors on both the blue and white sides of the Rec Hall put aside their competitive spirit for a moment and come together to join their former Sing Leaders in singing songs that they learned several years previously and, in one case, more than a decade ago, as loudly and with as much enthusiasm as if they learned them yesterday really speaks to the pride that so many have in being part of such deeply rooted and appreciated traditions like Sing. The genuineness of the moment was moving. It also demonstrated that whether the blue team or the white team emerges victorious, Sing really is about the Songs, the best of which live on as anthems in the hearts of Starlighters.
Though it began with an invasion that sparked an epic battle, Sing ended with a happily ever after and another Camp Starlight tradition, Sing Leaders Jason Silberman and Hannah Pereira of the Blue Invaders leading Epic Whites and Rico Reillo and Rachel Simon of Epic Whites leading the Blue Invaders in Sing and Friends.
The 65th Annual Sing
