I’m sure everyone noticed that prom was this past weekend and I ended up having to cover it. I hate covering prom. The program doesn’t start until after 10 p.m., it is loud, it is dark and I have to continually go up to people and yell that I am with the paper. It is not the most fun a person can have, if I’m honest. 

This is my second year covering the prom and I will say this year went much smoother, but I still didn’t love it. The fact that I have to be somewhere after 10 p.m. is the first problem. I usually go to bed early, so I was quite tired when I went to prom Saturday night. I am usually asleep by 11 p.m. every night, if not before. I was yawning on my way out the door as I told myself, “You are literally 24 years old. You can do this.” 

The other reason I dislike covering the prom is that it is just awkward. I feel like I am bothering people. I know some people ultimately would love to have their picture in the paper, but I hate running up to couples dancing and loudly asking if I can get a picture. It is also very loud at prom. Normally I am not yelling, “I am with the paper, can I get your picture!!!” at people. I am also naturally not a very loud person so I hate having to yell. Last year I was trying to write down people’s names and I couldn’t hear anything. This year I was a little smarter and just handed them my notepad and pen. At least I am learning. 

Personally, I believe prom is very overrated in general. Movies and TV shows really hype it up and create unrealistic expectations. The prom organizers always do a great job, so it is not their fault it doesn’t live up to the movie and TV expectations. When I went to prom, it was fine. It wasn’t the best time I ever had, but it also wasn’t the worst. I wore a very poofy silver dress and the best part was that it had pockets. Every dress should have pockets. I also wore combat boots for some reason even though no one could see them. 

The worst part of my prom was when I tried to use the photo booth. My friend and our dates stood in line for the photo booth for like 20 minutes and when it was finally our turn my friend and I went first, took a few pictures, got out and waited for our picture to print. Unfortunately, the photo booth had just run out of paper. No photo keepsake for us. I am still bitter about it, but I guess if that is the worst thing to happen, I am lucky. 

I do enjoy seeing all the pretty outfits at the prom. This year, I donated my prom dress as well as my homecoming dress to the WCHS Prom Shop. The shop is for people who may not be able to afford a prom dress and they can choose from a large selection of donated dresses. I’m not sure if anyone picked mine this year, but if not I hope one day someone might be able to get some use out of it and have a much better prom than I did. The pockets alone will make anyone’s day better.    

Standard reporter Bethany Porter can be reached at (931) 473-2191.