WGI 2018 Circuit Partner Symposium New Orleans, LA Friday, September 8 WGI is looking at Florida moving forward after 2020 because of challenges being presented by Dayton as the activity continues to grow A and Open class groups are being challenged by scheduling and venues all over the place, spending more time driving than experiencing the event Beyond 2020, Dayton and Orlando are the two proposals In 2020 things will be different regardless. They ve announced a very expensive and important renovation. U-D has been in conversation with WGI about this renovation! Engineers followed groups through the event to find out how they could incorporate better usage of space for our purposes U-D presented to us their proposal: Increased circulation around the arena Air-conditioning New and improved video-audio system More restrooms and concessions Improved seating More seating Screens around the arena for audience members getting concessions, etc. Concerns have been voiced about warm-up, lighting fixtures etc. and they ve stated these concerns will be taken into consideration as much as possible Windows at the top of the concourse Track around the arena where we move around will be taken up by club seats Concrete floor instead of the rubber/composite has already have been installed All seats below the walkway have been replaced with new seating New center-hung scoreboard with screens on all four sides Existing screens will be turned up toward highest seats Walt Disney World has also made a proposal to us They ve built a new arena inside the park that we could use There are several other arenas VERY close by Disney delivers life-changing experiences So does WGI. Connections with Disney Performing Arts ESPN Wide World of Sports (Hosted Invictus Games, NFL Pro-Bowl, Starpower, Varsity Spirit, Thanksgiving Parade of Bands)
We were the second organization contacted after Varsity Spirit when the new arena was built, and Disney staff have been to WGI Championships to see what we do Number of WGI alumni who work in Disney were included in a video that Disney sent to us with them asking WGI to move to Orlando (aww!) Seating for 8000 fans in one venue, or can divide into two separate venues- U-D seats 10,000, but WGI is exploring options to divide audiences somewhat time-wise to accomodate our needs (i.e. Scholastic World finals, awards, and then Independent World finals) All venues have separated, indoor, large spaces for warm-up attached to the performance space Venues enclose a large open outdoor space that gets ringed by food trucks to create a space for socialization, eating, and watching performances on screens set up outside the venues. WGI had signed a letter of intent to negotiate with Disney- non-binding, just a statement of genuine interest if our needs can be met For the first three years of an agreement with Disney, only one division would be in Orlando for each year We will have at least part of our World Championships event in Dayton through 2022 Continuing on the theme of community and togetherness, WGI has discussed an after-party of sorts sponsored by WGI in a park JUST US IN THE PARK- we d have an agreement with Disney that we d have exclusive access to a park late into the night WGI Certify-Presentation by founders of e-adjudicate Certification process created to address the problems of people approaching judging without experiences 4 levels Judges must complete levels 100-300 to be accepted into the WGI Judges Academy Course 100 explores the basics of judging in general, can serve as an introduction for new judges or a refresher for long-time judges 3-4 hours to complete Course 200 explores WGI philosophy, commentary, caption content, and tools to develop judging skills 6-8 hours to complete Course 300 Strategies for expanding recognition and commentary skills WGI s approach to analysis, comparison and scoring Caption specific commentary How seasons dynamics affect judging ~12 hours to complete
WGI judges are all going through WGI Certify also- top judges took 12 hours to get through the 300 level Lesson 340=practicum Minimum of 5 contest assignments 6 commentaries with self-evaluations Minimum of 5 scoring self-evaluations Mentor (either circuit-identified or provided by WGI for additional cost) does evaluations also, and determines when an individual has completed the course to their satisfaction WGI judges have to be done with Level 300 by October Course 400 Under construction, but becomes the entrance requirement to the WGI Judges Academy Pricing structure for each level: $75, $50, $125, $125 Arizona circuit used Level 100 for percussion judges to raise the bar for them and require accountability within that division of their judging community Percussion judges were required to either attend a clinic with Shirley Doherty or complete Level 100 of WGI Certify Out of 12 Percussion judges, 7 completed the training with mixed reviews Provided a good foundation for future training, judges were required to pay for it themselves Just like any other career, you have to buy into it and pursue further education if you want to progress. Tri-State requires all judges to complete through Level 300 All 28 judges finished the training, Tri-State paid for half to show support Justified as preparation for WGI and continued education WGI Certify Percussion is under development, and should be released by the end of the year. Each level for percussion is priced at $75 Each Circuit gets one scholarship for someone to advance all the way through the program for free to function as a trainer Every two years there will be a recertification piece to supplement changes in philosophy, focus, or policy/rule changes Per Ron Nankervis: Equate this process with the process to getting a driver s license. There s a written component and a road test. Pricing for ten or more licenses is discounted Southern California and Florida circuits are giving priority placement to judges who have completed WGI Certify, and California is requiring it for anyone judging in their circuit by 2019. WGI Certify has been incorporated as a standard for judges in some way by 4 circuits present. Huge benefit in one standard, one standardized approach to this system of numbers and rankings that can be so subjective
Florida circuit is seeing huge improvement from younger judges taking advantage of WGI certify Volunteers at WGI WGI NEEDS VOLUNTEERS, especially for Percussion Champs Volunteers can work a regional to see how everything works before committing to Championships. Saturday, September 9 Rules Rule Changes for Percussion Concert Scholastic A will be included in WGI Championships Any instruments at all will be permitted in Percussion productions Rule Changes for Color Guard Discusses what is legal equipment, broadens the verbiage discussing what defines a simulated rifle Language has been made intentionally vague to allow a broader range of rifle-inspired or influenced props Sickle/arc-shaped rifles will be permitted as legal equipment Rule Changes in Winds All electronic sounds are permitted except the simultaneous duplication of sounds generated during the production that are generated by the ensemble itself Kids were doing a non-playing run-through of their production and sounded great... Going to be a challenge to monitor, but must remain a priority for T&P judges and circuit admin Recorded sounds are still permitted elsewhere in the program, there just cannot be layering of sounds in such a way that the recorded track is playing the same music as the performers (no lip-syncing) Recorded rhythm tracks are still permitted! Changes in wording/outdated passages Simplified definition of performance area to say that there must be 5 between any wall or spectator seating and the performance area Broadened definition of preparing equipment to protect the contest facilities (instead of specifying tape just asks that equipment is prepared to prevent damage). Unit will be responsible for any damage Color Guard A and Open Class championships will be included in entry fee so that performers don t have to pay more to attend these events (World class will still be a separate fee) WGI is instituting an international ambassador program $25,000 grant was established to send a group from WGI to perform at the (new!) Tokyo regional
New tiered registration system; WGI Champs attendees first (Sep. 15), then groups only attending regionals (Sep. 21), then Regional A groups (Sep. 27) New WGI Website with CIRCUIT DASHBOARD wgi.org>dashboard Log-In>Lost Password for Circuit partner enrollment Circuit/Director/Judge dashboards all available under one log-in FloMarching Staff members are all members of the pageantry arts community Circuit Partnership FloMarching intends to offer partnerships with local circuits to cover our events if we d like This would be a free service We could have access to video clips for promotional use as long as we use just the visual paired with a completely different soundtrack Copyright No news is good news- licensing agencies are not actively coming after us Groups competing in WGI will now submit their permission to arrange license requests directly to Tresona instead of WGI Vicarious liability= If you re a circuit organizer and you don t oversee the necessary licensing, you COULD be held liable (but it s a long shot) The Tresona process is still just collecting the repertoire, but they do offer a service to secure licenses CompetitionSuite New features for 2018 Allows units to upload their performance music- must listen to it to verify Requires a laptop to run the program Units can upload as many tracks as they want throughout the season Circuit can set up a deadline for soundtrack submission Groups can merge their groups to multiple circuits if they choose Critique sign-up through CompetitonSuite! New commentary app with recaps and scores/score summaries Judge App available on iphone and will be available on Android as well Improvements Invoices can be created and fulfilled (Stripe charges members paying by credit card 2.9%+30 cents) Judge App will allow commentary playback on the device Web/Judge App will have a File Explorer so that contest admin can see files that have been misplaced Judge App will have the score sheets/boxes/thirds available in the app Additional Fee Features Proposal voting system Access from any device Functions through the website
Proposals can be edited and cloned as needed Graph view available once votes are entered Data and File Collection Setup Members can change as needed Replaces other databases that we may be using No restriction on number of files or fields within the file Can include forms as well E-Sign capability Can block member access to commentary/scores if they have not signed uploaded documents Updates should all be available by the end of the year Division head reports Color Guard- Dale Powers Color guards will now be allowed to have a person with a remote control in the stands to manipulate something on the floor (i.e. Avon s robot, lights during the show, etc.) Hosts must have a double door entrance to the performance area. If there is a bar it must be possible to remove it Sound policy-it s the ensemble s responsibility to have a representative at the sound table with a backup device or authority to make decisions. New CompetitionSuite music upload feature is under the same policy. Mats required for safety considerations should be standard-issue foldable high school gym mats Reiteration of the fact that WGI discourages independent groups from using students from existing scholastic programs, but cannot and will not legislate or make decisions on this situation Percussion- Mark Thurston Classification refers to the level of feedback that an ensemble is going to require- Percussion will be releasing resources explaining how the classification system works and what guidelines are in place Percussion has eliminated Box 6 Percussion administration have gone through and cleaned up/clarified several rules throughout the Rulebook, and are recommending that units read through the book to be educated Webinars for T&P judges will be available and should be attended for latest rules updates Winds- Wayne Markworth WGI Winds is focusing on recruitment and retention New website is intended to offer resources to help local programs foster growth and encourage establishment of new Winds groups How do you do that? Most circuits present do not have a judges association
Several circuits present don t pay their judge or contest coordinators (or equivalent) WGI 1-on-1 Expert consultations Can upload any part of the production that s been designed for review by an expert Videos can be uploaded to be adjudicated by WGI judges in any chosen caption Tool has been proven successful for several units T&P Webinars Guard: January 10 and February 21 Percussion and Winds: January 22 There are plenty of resources available for willing or interested potential regional hostsboth on WGI s website and from WGI Board members. Just ask!