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Reporter
After surviving three rounds of eliminations and out-singing 230 other contestants, Colfax, Wash., sophomore Lindsay Webber won a $10,000 scholarship from the FMC: Stand & Be Heard Anthem Singing Contest.
Webber said she found out Friday morning that she was chosen as the winner.
“I was freaking out,” Webber said. “I was so honored and humbled. I said, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’ and I called my mom and dad and said that I’d won and word spread like wildfire.”
All aged 13 to 21, contestants were required to be members of a national agriculture student organization, such as Future Farmers of America, to compete.
Contestants recorded themselves singing renditions of the National Anthem. The video submissions were then funneled through three rounds of voting.
The first round was decided by popular vote. The top five videos from each of the four voting regions dividing up the United States, advanced to the second round where a panel of five judges narrowed the top 20 contestants to four.
In July the final four contestants and their parents were flown on an all-expense-paid trip to Nashville, Tenn. During the trip they each spent time in the House of Blues recording studio with professional music producer Tom Davis.
In a news release, Davis said supporting Webber, the competition’s only soprano, musically required a little more work than the other musicians. The musicians had to determine how to best support her voice, but Davis said he is “really happy” with the final result.
In the final round, the winner was determined by popular vote.
The contest was presented by FMC Agricultural Solutions, a diversified chemical company serving agricultural, industrial and consumer markets. Jill Heggen, a public relations representative for the company, said the company began the contest as a way to invest in the future of farming. Webber was a member of the Future Farmers of America in high school.
“She’s very charismatic and down to earth,” Heggen said. “Even in the video she is very charismatic.”
Webber said she was thankful to Baylor Nation for its support of her throughout the contest.
“It showed me how great of a community we come from,” Webber said. “Baylor Nation really is awesome.”
