On Saturday night, 29 Portage High School seniors took to the stage at their school in hopes of winning the title for the Outstanding Young Man of 2014.
The competition, now just past its 23rd run, brings to light the achievement of young men in Portage High School’s graduating class and encourages them to put their best foot forward for the chance to win college scholarships and other prizes.
“I did it when I was a senior in 2007,” said event co-sponsor Will Fortenberry. “It’s a time to do something that you may not have done before.”
This year’s theme, “Everyday Heroes” focused on the good deeds that can make anyone a hero, even without the capes worn by their super-cousins. The hero theme was carried through the Physical Segment of the show, in which contestants danced to “I Need a Hero” while wearing superhero themed boxers. Many of the boys’ socks also included logos of superheroes.
Fourth runner-up Noah Volk said that the dance was the most difficult part for him, and many others agreed with him. “It was a learning experience and I think we all enjoyed it,” Volk said.
Although they danced for the crowd, the Physical Segment was actually evaluated before the boys’ very first steps onstage at the finals. In fact, 60 percent of their total is calculated in practices and gatherings beforehand. Included in these are a Judge’s Conference individual interview (30 percent), the Physical Segment (20 percent) and Academics (10 percent).
During finals, only the Presentation and Address, where the young men wear tuxedos and tell their plans for the future, and Casual Segment, in which the boys answer one preannounced and one impromptu question. Each of these sections is worth 20 percent each of the total score.
Even though they go through rigorous judging, the young men still enjoy the competition. “We get to be ourselves and have fun,” said participant Rodney Neal. “To me, it’s not really about the scholarships, it’s about just being with all your friends and being yourself.”
When all was said and done, the participants left the stage with, at the very least, a new experience.
The Good Guy awards, chosen by the contestants for whom they believed carried the best attitude of OYM, went to Tep Junyanid and John Fannin.
The Stevens Award, also voted upon by his fellow young men, went to Collin Graber for best representing the spirit of the competition. Academic winners were John Fannin, John Whitney and Matt Bliss. Physical Segment awards went to Luke Kizer, Chris Ticen and David Clegg. The young men who performed best in the Casual Segment were Mason Hooper, Chris Perry and Xavier Gilliam.
Those who most impressed the judges with their Presentation and Address were Luke Foster Hayden, Cody Kupiec, and Brandon Crosby. Fourth finalist was Noah Volk, third finalist was Mike Sutkowski and second finalist was Chris Klenk.
For the first time in OYM history, there was a tie for the winner, so the judges reevaluated the top two young men. First runner up was Tep Junyanid.
The title of 2014 Outstanding Young Man went to Matt Bliss. “You know, it feels pretty good,” Bliss said. “I’m relieved it’s done; I was kind of stressed, to be honest, leading up to it, but it’s a great feeling.”
Although he can now rest easy, there was a lot of self-preparation going on during the competition. “It takes a lot of concentration, to be honest,” Bliss said. “You have to get yourself focused and know what you need to do.”
Bliss believes an important part of being an Outstanding Young Man is to “really just be yourself, ultimately.” After his win, he strongly recommends any future seniors participate in the program.
Unfortunately, the prospect for future OYM competitions is becoming shaky. Not everything is completely secure financially for the program, and in the past few years, it has become more difficult to fund the boys’ awards.
“We are always looking for donors, people who would like to add to the scholarship money, because without the scholarships and the donors, then this is not going to happen,” Fortenberry said.
100 percent of scholarships and gifts come from ticket sales and generous donations by individuals and local businesses. These tax-deductible donations can be made through the high school bookstore and are tax deductible. If you’re interested in donating, contact Ms. Wyatt at 764-6060, or Ms. Cherry at 764-6059.