LINK to articleIt's not quite fair to call them "American Idol" stalkers, but Jennifer Chudzik, Rebecca Linker and Katelyn Clark come close.
At least they did early last Wednesday morning when, like bloodhounds, they tracked down three of their "American Idol" favorites to the end of the earth — a Waffle House in Belmont.
It's a long story with a happy ending, especially for 12-year-old Rebecca and 11-year-old Katelyn, who will now tell you that Ace Young is their favorite "Idol" of all.
It was going on 3 a.m. when the girls arrived at the 24-hour restaurant known for its breakfast. Chudzik said it seemed like every police car in Gaston County was in the parking lot, so she figured some of the Idols were inside.
She advised the girls to leave their autograph books in the car and look as much like Waffle House regulars as possible. She wasn't even sure they would be able to get inside.
But it worked. As soon as the trio walked in the door and looked for a booth, Katelyn made eye contact with Ace Young and impulsively ran toward him.
"It was like he was waiting for her," Chudzik said.
Katelyn ran into Young's open arms.
"He greeted me as if I was his baby sister," said Katelyn, who will attend North Rowan Middle School later this month. "He was so kind. It was just amazing. It was like he was expecting us — that's how he reacted."
The next 30 minutes were heaven for the girls.
Young even supplied the Sharpies, and he, "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks and fellow contestant Elliott Yamin autographed the girls' shirts. Katelyn sat on Young's lap and received a kiss on the cheek.
Chudzik and the girls spoke with Young's brother, Ryan, and chatted with them over breakfast from the vacant booth nearby.
The three idol men — Young, Hicks and Yamin — had traveled to the Waffle House to have their first taste of scattered and smothered hashbrowns, Chudzik said.
She told them they couldn't leave North Carolina without trying a Cheerwine, the soft drink born in Salisbury. Throughout the encounter, Young treated them all as if he were the guy next door, Chudzik said.
Young made all the introductions, most of the conversation and, when it came time toward the end to get photographs, made sure that Hicks and Yamin were included. He also posed for individual photographs of him and each girl.
Rebecca and Young did a "funny" picture together, sticking out their tongues. Rebecca, who will attend Erwin Middle School, said sometimes during the Waffle House meeting she felt as though she were in a coma.
It couldn't be real, she told Stevenson later.
Young's bright, white smile left a lasting impression with Katelyn.
"I told Ace he could be in an Orbitz commercial," she said.
Chudzik said the girls finally got back to her house about 4:30 that morning. They had, of course, a new superhero — Chudzik.
As you might imagine, a lot of telephone calls, e-mails and photographs have been sent to friends and family over the past week.
"I didn't know how nice and polite Ace was," Kissner said after hearing about the whole experience. "He took so much time with the girls. He didn't have to do that.