Tyler Kick was crowned the 2011 Quota Idol on Saturday, June 25. The 19-year-old from Apple Creek had the audience roaring with cheers and applause – not to mention all of the signs and yelps that declared support for the singer and his velvety voice.
The audience is the best audience Ive ever had; the loudest audience Ive ever heard. My heart started thumping out of my chest; it was so weird to actually win. It was just an exhilarating feeling, Kick said excitedly.
The Wooster High School Performing Arts Center housed the second and final round of Quota Idol, hosted by Quota International of Wooster, a service group that provides assistance to the deaf, hard-of-hearing, individuals with speech problems, and to disadvantaged women and children.
The singing competition attracted a packed auditorium with the talent to earn the audiences excitement and praise.
Sixteen contestants returned the morning of the competition for sound checks and rehearsals, but only nine were called to the stage to belt out a show tune or Broadway song. The final nine included the following participants: Melody McCune, 21, Millersburg; Christopher Kyser, 19, Ashland; Bailey Berlin, 15, Wooster; Roy Woodring, 26, Wooster; Jordan Kaplan, 21, Wooster; Curtis Roth, 19, Marshallville; Sarah Woodring, 23, Wooster; Bethany Howell, 19, Smithville; Tyler Kick, 19, Apple Creek.
Initially, there were only supposed to be eight final contestants, but Kick served as one of the surprises of the eveningresulting from a tie in the votes.
Matt Fox, television and radio personality, emceed the event, and kept the momentum rolling throughout the evening with his humor and energy. Three judges were also present, critically weighing in on each performance.
It was really nerve-racking, said Kaplan, who sang a tune from the musical, Legally Blonde. I love doing this every year.
Following the nine performances, an intermission allowed the audience to vote for their favorite. The competition resumed with three group performances and the final four, which included Bethany Howell, Tyler Kick, Curtis Roth and Sarah Woodring. After they each sang their choice of song, there was another intermission to determine the winner. With the shows return from the break, 2010s Quota Idol, Aaron Moger, sang a solo, and then joined the 2008 winner, Amy Gardner, and the 16 contestants for a group performance.
Its fun listening to everyone else. Instead of sizing up myself against them, Im sizing them up against each other I guess. So thats a little different, a lot more relaxed for me, said Moger.
The prizes for the Quota Idol were $1,000 in studio time from Audio Thrills Recording Studio and either $2,000, or a trip to audition for American Idol. Moger had the CD he recorded for sale at the competition.
Further, crooning beneath the lights to an engaged audience seemed to stir an explosion of adrenaline in the contestants. Despite the nerves that accompanied such pressure, the performers danced to the tune of their own music, walked along the aisleways, and one contestant played the pianoultimately providing the power to an already energetic evening.
The talent here is amazing, said Brenda Cherry, president of Quota International of Wooster. The caliber of talent and the quality of the show has gotten better every single year.
Throughout the first round, votes came from Internet, phone, audience and judges. The finale was determined by the audience and judges only. Fox announced that between Internet and phone, there were 554,000 votes. According to Cherry, the event raised $20,000 for their services, and they have estimated that over the course of 20 years, they have spent $500,000 in the community.
