This year the National Junior Classical League convention was held at Florida State University from August 1-6. It was an experience that couldn't have been imagined by the Kansans who went, it was so different than state convention. (With the exception of Claire, who had gone in 1998, and was put on a pedestal and constantly asked what it was like.)

     There is more variety of academic contests at the national convention (fondly known as Convention, with a capital 'C'). The spirit contests are absolutely crazy, and you are lucky to return home with an intact voice. The creativity for these as far as props, costumes, and chants is mind-boggling. (Kansas won the small state spirit contest on Tuesday.) There are well over a dozen categories in the art contest. Certamen has two different levels: competitive and open.

     That only covers the events that are an improvement over State. There are more which never even take place in Kansas. Ludi includes soccer, volleyball, basketball, and chess. Olympika includes Track & Field, Marathon (don't worry--it's just a 5K), and swimming. All of these count toward Sweepstakes points. States and JCL chapters from all over raise money selling items at Bazaar. Some of this year's features were "Semper Ubi Sub Ubi" boxers, about 6 different T-shirts, JCL mousepads, books, certamen questions, and more, but I couldn't spoil the surprise and tell you everything you can buy.

     For entertainment, there is a dance every night. The music ranges from pretty-good to excellent. The final dance is a semi-formal, so if you've found that special someone, it can be like specifically taking them to a dance. Of course, it doesn't have to be that way. 90% of the people dress up and go with the rest of their state, just to have fun. There was also a Mr./Miss JCL Pageant, a satire on the Miss America pageant. The Senior Classical League (college students) put on a talent show called "That's Entertainment."

     This year was a long bus ride to Florida. It sounds bad, but you might be looking at it from a band-trip perspective. This isn't a few days on a bus with people you go to school with every day and possibly hate. This is a few days of getting to know complete strangers. Driving time to Florida was barely enough. But you get so much time with these people, you make friendships for life and a home base for the rest of the trip.

     From boarding on the other side of town at 6:30, we stopped for a pickup in Columbia, MO, and headed on to the Chesterfield Mall in St. Louis for lunch. This was the first part of the bonding. (Okay, it's a trite word, but it's true--you really do grow close to people on this trip.) Then we rode the bus to northern Mississippi for dinner. We continued on to Hattiesburg, MS to spend the night. We awoke to a good breakfast buffet and were marvelled at the fact that there were "instant grits" available. There aren't any kind of grits available in KS or MO.

     Then we journeyed east to Pensacola Beach, FL. We were allowed seven full hours there. The beach was nice, though we shared the ocean with jellyfish. The boardwalk and its shops were incredible. Some people ate at Hooters for lunch; others at a 50's-style diner. A few people even took a boat out on the other side of the peninsula.

     We spent the night in DeFuniak Springs, FL. By the end of that night, after the mall, stories from the past few days, and Saturday Night Live and conversation time with all 5 of us and our teacher, we had about 10 inside jokes we still laugh about.

     Sunday morning, we said good-bye to the bus ride and took a final few hours to get to Tallahassee. We had to wait on the bus while our teachers registered us, but the reward was that our teacher brought us back some keychains that were meant to only be for teachers. (Hey, there were only 5 of us...)

     Convention itself was a marvel, but I've already told you the overview, and you can read personal stories here.

     On the ride back, we drove straight through the night, but even that had its perks. 40-some-odd high schoolers get pretty crazy at 1:00 in the morning. (Though don't worry: it was quiet enough to sleep by 1:30.) It was a last chance for seeing old friends or for romance: Such as the truth-or-dare game where Ryan revealed his crush on Susan to the bus, which led to them sitting together later that night, and an...ummm...interesting...play they put on. There were others, but that was the least personal one. (In other words, the only one I'd share with complete strangers, which could prove embarassing for KJCLers if I did.)

     I've done my best to summarize this week. But how do you do so when each day seemed like a week in itself? Convention can never be described: it's only to be lived.

Links:
Photo Album
Awards Kansans won at Convention
KJCL Spirit. Chants, etc.
Memories & Opinions. Kansans reminisce about Convention or write editorials.