Terryn Hardy
Staff Writer
Homecoming is a more than just a football game on Saturday. Homecoming is a week of tradition where Bengals bond together and increase spirit and pride for the school from the student body. One such tradition is the homecoming royalty pageant.
A couple weeks before homecoming, clubs on campus nominate representatives, male or female to compete in the pageant. The nominees are then tasked, with help from their clubs, to come up with a talent, a demonstration of school spirit, and be prepared to answer a question from the judges.
The questions range in seriousness from “What does it mean to bleed orange,” to, “If you could be a cartoon character who would you be and can you demonstrate?” The question portion is the first segment of the pageant and allows the participants to let off some of their nervous energy while increasing crowd engagement.
The talent portion of the competition is next.
Sam D’amico favored the audience with a song on guitar which he sang to.
Next up was Kaycee Dixey who performed a song she learned at family gatherings on drum with singing. Adele’s “Hello” was then covered by Sarah Hoopes a capella with some new lyrics. Kyler Wakley, with the help of her Tri Sigma Sisters, sang to a pop mashup with choreography.
Abigail Jablonski then sang a song with a friend accompanying her on piano.
Following Abigail, Stephanie Vera took the stage. Stephanie covered “Despacito” on violin, with a twist ending dance routine.
Brian Anderson then showed his lip-synced version of “Me, Too”.
Jenna Bobroski told the audience and judges that her “talent wasn’t dancing, but being herself wherever she was.”
James Rose then made his debut performance to a public audience playing guitar and singing.
Anna Curet finished out the talent portion with a performance of Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” on the piano, a cover she had written herself.
In the spirit performance, the crowd was very reactive. With cheers, dances, free shirts, and even the marching band, the school spirit was overwhelming the room.
The winners of the pageant were determined by a vote of the audience as well as judges scores. The 2017 Idaho State University Homecoming Royalty are Duchess Abigail Jablonski, Duke James Rose, Princess Anna Curet, Prince Brian Anderson, Queen Stephanie Vera, and King Sam D’amico.
