Who Knows the Champion

　　　It is a classic scenario that you may have seen before.

Some competition is taking place, and the final candidates for the championship are on stage in a theater. The stage is dark. You hear drums roaring. The spotlights are wandering. The master of ceremonies opens an envelope. He reads the paper and loudly announces the name of the champion! All the spotlights light up the winner. What a moving moment! Some people will cry at the spectacle.

Now, I have a pop quiz for you.

Before the master of ceremonies opens the envelope, who knows who the champion is? The judges, of course. They decided who it should be. Other than them, a few people know who it is.

Please think about it. I already gave a clue above.

The answer is the stage lighting artists. The judges send the envelope at the same time as they send the information to the lighting crews. They have to light up the champion just as the master announces his name. To do that, the lighting crews need to know who he is.

I know that because my wife is a stage lighting artist. She told me. She said she becomes very nervous when she needs to aim the spotlight in that situation. If she makes a mistake, someone other than the champion could have short-lived joy.

Dear friend, if you see that situation in a theater, you should pay attention to the stage but also to the lighting crew. They are behind the audience. They are also nervous. They might rehearse lighting up the champion on the stage. You could guess who it will be.

Picture by iimages

Proofreading by Michael W, ProofreadingServices.com