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AMERICAN IDOL CONTESTANT SINGS ANTHEM
By Craig Rybczynski
(Rochester, March 15)… Rochester Americans fans at The Blue Cross Arena Sunday may have recognized the voice of the anthem singer, especially if they are fans of “American Idol.” Lima native Jonathan Stills belted out the Star-Spangled Banner prior to the Amerks-Grand Rapids Griffins American Hockey League game.
“It was a great feeling to be back home in Rochester in front of the people that backed me,” said Stills. “I was a little nervous but it all worked out.”
The 24 year old was personally escorted around the arena by former Honeoye-Falls Lima classmate and Amerks Services Coordinator Shannon Burrows. Stills was treated to a night in Owner Curt Styres’ suite and was interviewed during the second intermission on the Amerks’ live TV broadcast.
“I have come to many Amerks games but it was awesome to be in the suite,” he said during the intermission.
Stills, 24, has been getting more attention since he returned from his participation on Season 9 of “American Idol.” His journey was well documented locally as he traveled to Orlando to audition for the show. He was rewarded with a golden ticket and advanced to Hollywood Week. He was one of 181 singers selected from a pool of more than 110,000 contestants chosen to compete for the Top 32 spots and a place on the live show.
“It was surreal. I went alone and it was pretty scary. It was the first time facing all the fears that kept me from auditioning in the past,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect.”
Stills turned to prayer and meditation to overcome any jitters that might have followed him to Hollywood. This time he had to impress judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen Degeneres.
“I removed myself from the reality of what I was doing,” he said. “I humbled myself and realized that they are all good singers. I just had to be better.”
The dream has continued for Stills since coming back home, which included attending the Amerks game Sunday. It was his first time in an arena since he auditioned at Amway Arena in Orlando.
Despite his recent success, he will continue to work as a bus driver for the Honeoye Falls-Lima School District. What “Idol” has done is allow him to focus on a singing career, which he will do when not working as a substitute bus driver. The young man whose job is taking kids to and from their destinations is now moving in his own direction with his final stop now closer than ever.
“Like I said in my exit interview, you haven’t seen the last of Jon Stills. This is truly the beginning because now I understand that the only limits to my success are those thoughts that I allow to stop my progress,” he wrote on his website. “And that although the end product isn’t quite what I imagined, I have a choice: To either quit or refuse to believe that it can’t be done!”
For more information on Jonathan Stills, go to www.jonstillsmusic.com.
