10 contestants took part in the third annual Colorado’s Throwdown Showdown presented by the Infinity Park Event Center on Saturday evening.
The combination of singers, guitar players, bass players, comedians, and jugglers all put their best foot forward for the $10,000 grand prize, but it was 15-year-old musician Gabi Cohlmia that won over the judges and the voters and emerged victorious on the Infinity Park Event Center’s Sports Plaza.
“It feels amazing,” Cohlmia said following the competition. “It’s something that I would never think would have happened.”
Cohlmia, who performed under the stage name Gabi Rose, sang and played the keyboard as she performed a mix of original music and covers on her way to her first-place finish.
The event saw all 10 contestants perform in the preliminary rounds before opening the voting to the fans. Fans could vote for their favorite performance as many times as they wanted in a one-minute window, and the four contestants with the most votes would advance to the final round to compete for the $10,000 grand prize.
After the preliminary round, the final four contestants consisted of Cohlmia, the all-female drumline Beauty and the Beats, juggler Reid Belstock, and musician N3ptune.
All four performers switched up their wardrobe and their routine ahead of the final round and gave the crowd at Infinity Park an entertaining show to close out the competition.
When the dust settled and the votes had been counted, Cohlmia beat out N3ptune for first place, while Beauty and the Beats and Belstock claimed the third and fourth place, respectively.
“Seeing all of the other talent around was just amazing,” Cohlmia said of all of the competitors. “I’m so humbled by it. Everyone that performed here was absolutely incredible.”
First time proved to be the charm for Cohlmia. The Valor Christian High School student had never taken part in a talent competition before Saturday evening.
“I’ve never been in a competition before,” Cohlmia said of the Throwdown Showdown. “This was my first one. It was amazing.”
Saturday was the first time that Cohlmia had ever stepped foot inside Infinity Park, and she left with the grand prize. A $10,000 payday is every high school kids dream, and while she could put that money towards a car or a trip, Cohlmia plans to use the money to further her career and help those in need.
“I definitely want to buy some equipment for gigs because it’s something that I have been saving up for and now I actually finally have the money,” Cohlmia said of how she plans to spend her winnings. “As the daughter of a cancer survivor I want to give some of the money to cancer research to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.”
With her first talent competition in the books and $10,000 in her pocket, Cohlmia is keeping her options open as she searches for her next opportunity to showcase her skills.
“I’m just playing it by ear. I’m probably going to play some more gigs now that I have the money for the equipment. I just love performing. Thank you to Infinity Park. Thank you to the workers. Thank you for everything.”
