State Update [ha! it rhymes...]

So here's what went down on Saturday:

Our Central Challenge was absolutely amazing. We made everyone in the room laugh with some really quick improv moves, and we even used squirting water to our humor advantage. We got 217.5 points out of 240, an AWESOME score [one of the best we've ever had]. We felt good.

Our Instant Challenge can't be discussed, so we won't discuss it. DI regulations, you know.

So we're sitting in the award ceremony. I'm nervous, very nervous. This is it, keeps running through my head.

They get to our Challenge. Then our level [Secondary]. The announcer calls off 6th... 5th... 4th... 3rd... 2nd...

Now I'm really nervous. What if we don't get called at all? What if we didn't even place in the top six? I'm going crazy.

The announcer says they've got a special award for that Challenge, which only builds the suspense. They usually call special awards between second and first place for that specific reason, too. Very cruel.

The first award is read, and the team is called. It's not us. We're terrified--almost always, the team that receives the award gets first. Almost always.

But they go back to their seats and then the announcer begins another award. It's not us. Again, terror. The team goes up to receive their certificates and the reality sets in: They already took second place. They couldn't possibly have first, too.

The announcer then begins to read a third award. I am nearly peeing my pants in anxiety. We listen closely, our eyes growing wide in disbelief when we hear a description of what could possibly be our skit.

Then we hear the word "CAN-vas," and I scream like a little school girl. That's US!

They call out our school and we run to receive the first special award we've ever gotten in all our years of DI. It was our goal for this year, our long-time dream, and it came true.

We didn't just win any old award, either. We got the DaVincI, the god of all DI awards. It's the hardest one to get, and WE GOT IT! :D

So we're standing in a huddle, staring at our beautiful DaVincI medals in awe. The announcer [Vest Dude] strolls over grinning. He says he's got more news for us, and MH [teammate] says that Vest Dude is his favorite person ever [in the microphone]. We know what's coming. We've seen it a million times.

Time slows. My breath catches. And then, though I'm nervous beyond reason and ready to explode inside, Vest Dude says the words we were longing to hear:

"You're going to GLOBAL FINALS!"

I will never, never, NEVER get sick of that phrase. It means so much more than just those five words. It's a week of fun, a whole week with my abiological brothers and sisters. It's the glory of winning first place, of knowing that everyone in Michigan who could've beaten you somehow didn't. It's the knowledge that your hard work will be paid off.

Love to my team, my big and little siblings, the missing pieces of my mind. I love you guys :)

-Abigail Bubblegum Morgan