My hidden talents (are hidden for a reason)

I don’t find myself partaking in a lot of competitions.

However, had I been in one in the category of ‘Most Excited Reaction’ to the new Mamma Mia movie trailer I saw last week I likely would have won hands down at the Yarmouth Cineplex.

I was there to watch a movie with my friends Kelly and Sonya when I suddenly heard the words “I have a dream, a song to sing…” being sung. I looked in their direction. I was both stupefied and excited. “Is there a new Mamma Mia movie?” I asked them. “Is there? Is there?”

As realization settled in I was giddy. I was surprised. I was resisting the urge to jump up to my feet in dance. I did, however, do a double fist-pump in the air, and Sonya says I shouted “Yes!” when the song Dancing Queen came on in the trailer.

Have I ever mentioned I’m a life-long ABBA fan? How did I not know about this movie? I’m supposed to be an investigative reporter, yet I didn’t know the trailers for this move had come out two months ago?

I’ve since made up for that by watching the movie trailers about 74 times since last Wednesday.

So yes, if there’s an ABBAMamma Mia competition, engrave my name on the excited trophy.

On a more serious note, there’s a story in this issue of the newspaper about a Digby County champion arm wrestler who is organizing a fundraiser to raise money to help a dad from this region who is battling a rare form of cancer. It’s a great idea and I’m sure it will be a successful fundraiser. Another editor in our Saltwire Network asked for the story to run in their paper. As a joke he said we could arm wrestle over who got to edit the story, although he figured I’d win.

I doubt it. Arm wrestling is not my claim to fame. But his words got me to thinking about other competitions I might stand a chance in.

When I was younger I was a majorette. In fact, not only was I outstanding Sailorette three years in a row, I was also the outstanding twirler one year too.

It’s been decades since I’ve twirled a baton, and it’s not something that I’ve had to fall back in my adult years, but I suppose in a pressure-cooker situation (given that at the age of 10, I was outstanding) I could twirl myself a mean figure eight to get out of a tight squeeze.

Another area where I would have an advantage over others is if the need ever came to fall back on my Outsiders knowledge. When I was a teenager, and even into my 20s, (and probably still to this day) The Outsiders was one of my favourite movies. When I was in junior high, the closet doors in my bedroom were filled with posters of C. Thomas Howell – a.k.a. Ponyboy – and I watched the movie so much I pretty much knew all of the dialogue by heart.

A couple of years ago my young- est son came home from school and mentioned they had watched the movie in class. I don’t know what came over me, but I instantly channelled by inner Ponyboy – along with my inner Sodapop, Johnny, Dallas, Two-bit, Steve and Darrell – and immediately launched into a one-woman, seven-man show of The Outsiders, acting out the final scenes of the movie in his bedroom.

At the end, as I lay crumpled on the floor in a heap following my dramatic re-enactment I asked him, “What did you think of that scene when you saw it in the movie?”

“Actually,” he said, “We didn’t get the watch the last 15 minutes yet.”

Oops. Looks like I got disqualified from that competition.

So much the ABBA theory: the winner takes it all.