Mr. 24th

Photo Credit: Ellen Hargrove

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May 7, 2010 • written by Jimmy McHugh  
Filed under Columns, Opinion

It was a night in which the winner’s tiara glistened with glory, and the spotlights of Kirkwood High’s Keating Theatre were fixed on 24 contenders yearning for distinction and fame. It was a night when only one could claim the title of champion. It was the night of the Mr. KHS pageant.

Mr. KHS was founded last year to raise money for the pommies, but what they didn’t realize was the money interfered with the main focus: crowning the true champion. Just because this pinnacle of pageants brought in over $1,000 for the pommies program and helped purchase new uniforms doesn’t mean that it can’t break hearts.

As Mr. Freshman Class, I was responsible for embodying the “swagger” of all of the freshmen. In front of a crowd of more than 400 on that Wednesday night, I was booted in the first round.

Sigh.

Maybe it was due to my shiny shoes not being shiny enough or my hips not being as loose as the change in my pockets. Whatever the problem, it was enough to lock me backstage with the nine other men swept from the limelight.

Perhaps the chance to show off their washboard abs in their skin-tight swimsuits was what brought such a testosterone-swamped group of guys together. If that’s what it takes to raise money for the dancers that
pump up the crowds at pep rallies, then so be it. But don’t strike down the only freshman in the first round to please the oh-so-desperate seniors.

I can admit, a free prom night with a limo might have been out of the question for me, but the second round wasn’t. No one seems to be complaining about the victor, Jayvn Solomon, who happens to be a senior. Solomon also happens to be Mr. Pep Club, a group that is alongside the pommies at pep rallies to rile up the crowd. Coincidence? I think not.

“It hurts to fall short by one place, but at least I wasn’t 24th place,” Joey Greenstein said moments after the decision was made to crown Solomon.

But as I looked at the crowd’s gleaming faces when all the contestants came out for a final bow, it was no secret that our dance moves pleasured their eyes. In that moment, it hit me. As a ninth grader, my job was to be 24th place. That’s the joy of being the scrawny little freshman.  I guess when next year’s pommies are counting the money as it flows in, I’ll be back stage with a new group to represent, shining the shoes and loosening the hips. Until then, I’m just Mr. 24th.