ENTERTAINMENT: Poly Link Crew puts on Poly’s first all-male pageant.
By Birdy Jones, Staff Writer
Every year, clubs and sports struggle to find a way to raise funds for their group. Link Crew is no exception. This year, their struggle proved to be worth it, when they put on the Mr. Poly Pageant for the first time and experienced a successful turnout.
Link Crew advisor Melissa Kromas and a few former Link Crew members brought the idea of having this all-male pageant to the table last year. The goal of the Mr. Poly pageant was both to raise funds to offset some of the cost of training incoming Link Crew leaders and to provide entertainment for Poly students.
Initially, Link Crew leaders chose candidates for Mr. Poly, but Link Crew advisor, Cynthia Wilson, realized that the pageant needed more participants in order to be successful. In response, Wilson asked the entire staff for nominations and received plenty of Mr. Polys to work with. “Of course, we had a larger group to start with, but we lost a few participants due to the commitment of time needed to learn the dance routines,” Wilson mentioned.
The pageant itself entailed four main categories that candidates were judged in: spirit wear, pick-up lines, talent and formal wear. For the top five candidates, a single question was required. Winner of the first Mr. Poly pageant, Quentin Johnson (11), felt that the pageant was a success: “The people that came had a good time and the members involved with the pageant had an amazing time as well.”
Another candidate of the Mr. Poly pageant, Eric Flores (11), said, “My favorite part about being involved in the Mr. Poly pageant was being able to display my talent in front of a live audience.” Flores expanded, “I’m not only proud of what I did, but I’m glad that I got to enjoy practicing and getting to know the other Mr. Poly candidates.”
With all of the positive feedback, Link Crew makes it clear that they intend to continue putting on an annual Mr. Poly pageant. Wilson declared, “The trend has been set and I can’t wait for next year’s Mr. Poly pageant!”