In its first competition in the United States and under the glow of a full moon, Team Poland thrilled a sold-out crowd and won first place in the Interational Fireworks Championship, which took place the first weekend in September in Traverse City, MI. Professional pyrotechnic experts served as the judges.
“It’s our first time in the USA,” said Aleksander Wadon of Team Poland. “I’m so glad that we won. I’m so glad that we are here. And I’m so happy that we will be here next year.”
The winner of the Championship is typically invited to return next year and present a finale on the opening evening of the competition.
The judges presented the award after viewing six international fireworks teams over the two nights of the championship. The teams had up to 15 minutes to stage their show and were given specific guidelines to follow. Judging was based on choreography, synchronization to music, and the overall experience.
In addition to the juried awards, Best of Show trophies were given each night based on a public vote. The team from the USA took the Best of Show trophy on Friday night, while the team from Portugal captured it on Saturday night.
“All of these teams created spectacular displays,” said Traverse City Tourism President Trevor Tkach (tah-KACH). “Every year, this competition gets tougher and tougher. The teams know they are up against some of the best in the fireworks industry, and they bring their ‘A’ game. They work hard to wow the audience.”
Teams from Canada, China, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, and the USA took part in the competiton. The teams worked for months to design their presentations. Each night, a different finale display filled the air. On Friday night, the finale was presented by the winners of last year’s International Fireworks Championship, a team from the United Kingdom. On Saturday, the finale was presented by the pyrotechnic judges.
The presenting sponsor is GFL Environmental. Other sponsors include Priority Health, The Carrithers Family, Up North Live News, Blast! Events, TVC Airport, Fox Grand Traverse, truenorth Convenience Stores, OAV, 4Front Credit Union, and Showtime FX. The show is organized by Traverse City Tourism.
More information about Traverse City is available at www.TraverseCity.com.
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