Columbus, Ohio, a place that always surprises me by having a hockey team, is now ready to surprise you by delivering a US Air Guitar qualifier: their first, but hopefully not their last. This brings competitive air guitar back to Ohio (there had been several Cleveland competitions lo these many years ago), and it looks like it converted everyone who was lucky enough to be at the Woodlands Tavern.
It seems like it may have been a small field - reports are few and not especially specific - but the key point is this: Cleveland's legendary Derek Not-So-Smalls made his triumphant return to the stage, as did AirLeigh Legal and her glorious wings. Derek Not-So-Smalls was doing the splits all over the place, which surely contributed to his scores; he wound up coming in first, with AirLeigh Legal in second place. But Not-So-Smalls couldn't, or maybe just didn't, take the victor's reward of a trip to Chicago for semifinals (/conference finals... I'm trying, you guys, I'm trying SO HARD), and he passed that baton to Airleigh Legal. She will be joined by the third-place contestant, a gentleman who competed as "Orange Hat Guy," which is, at least, descriptive.
AirLeigh Legal - if you took this photo (or know who did), please let me know so I can give credit!