Visiting the US to compete on the international stage is thrilling at the best of times, and to do it in the middle of a federal government shutdown only ramps up the nervous excitement. But there was no holding us back from taking up our wildcard invitation to this year’s Sweet Adelines International competition, held in October at the Greater Columbus Convention Centre in Ohio.

We had plenty of supporters to cheer us along and wave the Aussie flag, since we weren’t the only ones to have made the trek from the land down under. Redland Rhapsody, from Queensland, was there to compete in the Harmony Classic division. They sang beautifully and gained third place. And the four songbirds from Skylark were there, too, achieving an Australian first by getting through to the quartet finals (in other words, top 10 in the world!) and coming ninth. Congratulations on your wonderful performances.

CKC arrived in Columbus as a wildcard entry, so we were put straight into the semi-finals, competing against choruses of all sizes. With 28 singers on stage, our chorus was half the size or less than most of the other competitors. In fact, the top four placegetters in the finals had numbers ranging from 83 to 114 members. But we were already prepared for this, so our game plan was simply to sing like we had nothing to lose, with absolute heart and passion – and that’s exactly what we did.

Our two songs were I Just Found Out About Love and Always On My Mind (an almost-forgotten song recorded by Sarah Vaughan, not the well-known one made popular by Elvis Presley). Vicki Dwyer, our musical director, had come across the Sarah Vaughan ballad and was so taken with it that she asked Adam Scott (a barbershop judge and composer based in the US) to arrange it specifically for CKC.

Our final result was 19th place out of 31 competitors, with a score of 1182. The judges were very encouraging in their comments and gave us some excellent advice on areas we should continue to finesse as we keep striving to reach our maximum potential. In the meantime, we’re delighted with the result, and so proud of the way we worked together and supported each other as a team throughout the year and onstage at the main event.

Thank you to the ooters (out-of-towners) who performed with us in Columbus – including the enterprising girls who really got their money’s worth by singing with Redland Rhapsody on the Tuesday and then again with us two days later! A huge thanks to Bec Hewitt, our irrepressible coach and mentor. And an enormous thank you to Vicki Dwyer, our captain and navigator, and the wind in our sails.

Vicki also performed in the quartet division with Alouette, alongside three other CKC divas: Kaity, Diane and Crystal. They sang magnificently and came 28th in the semi-finals. Their two pieces were This Can't Be Love and If I Had My Way. Alouette also competed at last year’s Sweet Adelines International convention in Kansas and are the current Australian champions.

Now that we’re all safely back home before the snow starts falling in Columbus, the hot sticky Sydney weather can only mean one thing – it’s time to bring out Santa’s sleigh and all the winter wonderland decorations that go with it. Christmas carol performances are always a highlight in our calendar, because everyone gets involved in helping to create the enchanting atmosphere; from the chorus, to the big kids in the audience who can’t help but sing along, to the wide-eyed little ones who are swept up in the magic of the moment.

Best wishes for the festive season and the upcoming year to all our sisters in song around Australia.

Kath Ware