FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
She stepped shakily up to the microphone. The first notes of her rendition of country singer Sara Evans' song, "Real Fine Place to Start," were uneven and soft, but she continued to sing. Her confidence rose and her voice became powerful as she finished, and the crowd offered a standing ovation.
With three contestants left, the Joint Base Langley-Eustis community gathered at the Fort Eustis Club to enjoy the final night of the ninth-annual Operation Rising Star competition Nov. 1.
Sarah Hopkins, daughter of U.S. Army Reserve Master Sgt. Carroll Hopkins, 3rd Battalion, Army Reserve Careers Division area leader, won the first-place prize of $500.
Hopkins discovered the Army-wide singing competition after seeing an advertisement in the base newspaper. She decided to take a chance and enter the contest.
Although the 20-year-old college student has sung all her life, she wasn't sure how the judges would grade her performance.
"I was a little [anxious] before singing, and the judging made me very nervous," said Hopkins.
After performing her first song, Hopkins' confidence grew and she decided to give it her all for the second and final song of the night.
Hopkins may have been a bit skeptical of her ability to outshine the other contestants, but the judges had no doubts that she was worthy enough to be named Eustis' "rising star."
"Her vocals were so dynamic. She has so much stage presence and she controlled the crowd when she sang," said Edward Donaldson, ORS judge. "The sky is the limit for Sarah."
Hopkins will move on to compete in the Army-wide Operation Rising Star finals against 11 other winners from various installations for the grand prize of $1,000 and a three-song, all-expense-paid record deal.
The five-week journey to the finals may have been nerve-wracking for Hopkins, but the judges believe she was destined to win.
"It happened the way it should have happened. There's been tremendous progress from the beginning," said Donaldson. "She was shy [five weeks ago], but after a while she started showing her true colors. If she keeps it going, I will buy her first CD."