“C’mon, eat him for breakfast!”

That joyous shout of encouragement was one among many exhortations to the youthful contestants at the Guitar Hero contest held Wednesday afternoon at the Rock, the ecumenical Christian youth center on W. Clark St. in Albert Lea.

Twenty-six contestants vied for honor and prizes at the event, based on the popular video game Guitar Hero III. Sixteen kids competed in the medium division, with another 10 in the expert class.

So who is an expert and who is not? That determination was made by the event’s master of ceremonies, Rick Miller, a Rock employee who has seen all of the participants perform the guitar simulation on earlier visits to the youth center.

“The level they are competing at is based on what I’ve seen them do before,” Miller said.

After being divided by class, the contestants names were paired randomly by the luck of the draw. Three televisions, with a pair of contestants at each, were used as competitors tried to match the notes of 3 popular songs. Scores were based on accuracy more than speed as each contestant tried to get the highest score for 2 of the 3 songs, thus earning the right to advance to the next round. Matching the highest percentage of the songs’ actual notes resulted in the highest scores.

Contestants had the option of using a simulated guitar or a game controller in their quest for victory. The more experienced players seemed to prefer the guitar. Enthusiasm and showmanship were part of the scene, as contestants tried to get the crowd roaring their approval, while still concentrating on the intricacies of game play, which called for players to play straight through each song without stopping.

Sayge Miller started by using the game controller when he first began playing Guitar Hero, but soon switched to the guitar because of the natural feeling it provided.

“I try to concentrate with my eyes and just let my body take over. If you focus on your score too much, you’ll mess up and lose,” Miller said.

Friday’s contest was the second Guitar Hero competition for Miller, who developed a play list of songs that he thought would be familiar to most competitors. His dad, Rick, then selected the songs to be used in the contest. He says he feels the game has helped improve his eye-hand coordination.

Rick Miller didn’t have to look far in finding a video game to be used in the contest.

“Guitar Hero was the most popular game among the kids, and the one many of them played at home.”

Miller has worked at the Rock for the past year and says he enjoys the stimulation he finds in working with young people.

There was a social message being passed along to the kids at the Rock on this New Year’s Eve afternoon. Avoiding the pitfalls of alcohol abuse among teenagers was stressed by Alice Englin, coalition director of Freeborn County Partners in Prevention, which received grant money from state government for the development of programs to help keep kids out of trouble.

“Underage drinking: Myth vs. Facts,” was the topic of Englin’s address to the kids at the Rock. She emphasized the importance of avoiding peer pressure concerning alcohol use, and not listening to those who say that alcohol won’t hurt teens.

Englin’s message came at the end of a best-dressed contest, in which kids dressed up in imitation of 1980s rock stars.

Prizes were awarded to the winners of the best-dressed competition, as well as to the top finishers in the two Guitar Hero classes.

Winner of the best dressed competition was Amber Berglund.

Paul Ter won first place in the expert class. Medium class winner was Carrington Widner.

Forty kids were in attendance at the event, and even a brief power outage didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the contestants or their supporters.

One contestant, named Dylan, said he began playing the game at home with his brother and sister after receiving it as a Christmas gift two years ago. While usually winning in competition with his siblings, he admits that playing in front of a crowd is more difficult.

“It’s a little tougher with all these people around,” Dylan said.