Once we got in, we were handed a program that was really informative and laid out all the events, times and locations in an easy-to-find format. The first thing we did was check out the helicopter that Arizona Search and Rescue had displayed. They’re not funded by the state and they volunteer their time and money to do their jobs so they were there to raise a few bucks. They had some sherrif Joe boxers for sale and if you bought some merchandise, you could get your photo taken in the helli. I got a pair of pink Sherrif Joe boxers (for the wife!) and we got a few snapshots – they’re supposed to email them to me soon and I’ll post them here.

The kids and I bought some tickets and went on a few rides. Their favorite was the bean bag slide. I loved seeing their smiling faces as they slid down the rainbow colored slides at lightning speed on potato sacks – that was awesome. Next, we got a few snacks and bought a cup for $4 that was refillable for $2 for soda, which I thought was a pretty cool thing, considering most drinks are like $4 a pop. We then saw a really funny street act, where the guy was juggling flames, cups, all kinds of stuff, while telling jokes. He even had a cool poem that he recited about living life to the fullest every day, while juggling a machetti, a ham and a flaming torch.

We then went to see a pretty entertaining stunt show (I later found out that earlier that day, a guy was critically injured while practicing for the show). The main event was the ostrich race. We got there right at 2:00pm and it was packed. We could barely find a spot where we could see the races. I was really excited to see the race becaue I’ve never seen an ostrich race before. Here’s where things got interesting…

…The MC was announcing all of the jockeys participating. He said that the jockeys could weigh no more than 150 lbs. and then he gave each jockey a quick interview that we could all hear. One of the jockeys was a woman who said that “she definitely weighed under 150 lbs.” but would give no more detail than that, and rightly so! So a few minutes later they were off. Even though we were standing towards the back of the really large crowd, I could still see the main drag all the way up to the turn, and the ostriches took off way faster than I had anticipated. They were really tall and you could see the top half of their bodies, and their long necks and heads – they bolted down the drag.

Then, the rider I was watching looked like she was loosing her grip going down the main drag. She seemed to lean more and more to the left until she finally fell off! She tripped the ostrich and the giant bird fell right on top of the poor girl. Everything just stopped. At first, I think most people probably thought to just shrug it off, but when the girl lay there motionless, you knew something was seriously wrong. At that point, you knew that this was more than just a little accident.

5 or 6 people ran out to her, and then you could hear the shouting. The girl looked like she was convulsing, as her legs were shaking what looked like uncontrollabley. Then you heard the MC start yelling for an EMT. At that point, I grabbed my kids and we decided we’d had enough for one day. While we left, we said a quick prayer for the girl together and hoped she’d be okay. Man, what a day! I’ve been doing google searches trying to find out any news on the poor girl, but haven’t come up with anything. If you’re reading this and you know what’s happened to her, please drop a comment!

I think I’ll go back next year to see the ostrich races. They do have a lot of things going on and it’s a good event for families that won’t break the bank.

The ones that stand out to me are Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert. The rest of the contestants are still pretty good, but they don’t seem to have an identity or musical style that really grabs me. Allison and Adam have both been consistent in delivering great performances, while staying true to their rockstar identities. They don’t just deliver consistent performances, but there’s some real talent there. From the way they dress, to the way they perform to their vocals, they’ve just got it (IMO). The rest have stories and identities, but I believe that Allison and Adam are a few giant steps ahead of the rest.

Having an interesting identity has also helped Megan Corkrey stay on the show. IMHO, she’s a horrible singer, and rather annoying (but beautiful!), but she has an identity that appeals to the judges, and apparently a few others, as she’s still on the show – so her identity has actually saved her! Michael Sarever – the oilrigger, has a great story and has remained true to his identity, and I think people like that about him. Danny Gokey and Scott Macintyre (from Scottsdale!) both have great stories, but Danny is trying to make the transition from Gospel to Pop Culture and he seems to be sort of stuck in the middle. The rest, to me are rather forgettable (Simon Cowell voice).

Weeding out the remaining 11 contestants will be interesting. I think while the rest of the contestants are trying to figure out who they are, the ones who already know who they are will be on the top and have the advantage.

Think about how this applies to your business. Do you have a memorable identity that appeals to your market? Do you know who you are and is that clear in your communications? If not, I encourage you to start thinking about it. This requires asking yourself some honest questions, brainstorming, and spending some quality time reflecting on who you are.

Be memorable, tell your story. Even if you have a product or service that is common, if you have an appealing identity, you’ll still differentiate yourself. If you’ve got a great product or service AND a solid identity, you’ll be right up there with the winning American Idol (Go Allison!).