2005 Fall  Newsletter

Sportsmanship Winner – Jennifer Bowen

Sr. Queen – Amanda Werner

Jr. Queen – Erica Kosilesky

Petite Queen – Marleigh Noss

Pre-Teen Queen – Kimberlyn Paschke

Juvenile Queen – Amy Arslanian

Miniature Queen – Alexa Arslanian

Tiny Tot Queen – Marissa Smith

Miss College Majorette – Jennifer Bowen

Sr. Twirl-off Champion – Amanda Werner

Jr. Twirl-off Champion – Cassondra Burke

Juv. Twirl-off Champion – Ashley Burkin

Sr. Int. Over-all Winner – Valerie Sasala

Sr. Beg. Over-all Winner – Rebekka Jardine

Sr. Novice Over-all Winner - none

We had a number of innovations this year. First, each day’s schedule was altered in an effort to make competition days shorter. Our goal was to spread out events so that contestants would be fresh each day and therefore, be able to perform at their best.

We ask for your continued flexibility and cooperation as we re-evaluate the schedule and perhaps make a few more adjustments for Nationals 2006. Our goal is to make each day comfortable and rewarding for you.

Beginners were divided into two classifications, based on the number of first place wins they had accumulated in Solo Twirling. Likewise, an additional Over-all Championship was added so that there would be a Novice AND a Beginner Over-all title. Be sure to read the section on Novice and Beginner titles later in this newsletter, where requirements for these classifications are described.

Advanced Basic Box Strut and Advanced Military Box Strut were added, as well as a Novice Team Division for Dance-Twirl Teams and Twirling Teams. Certain requirements must be adhered to in order to compete in the Novice Teams Division. These requirements are summarized in the Novice Teams section of this newsletter. And, finally, a Twirl-off Championship was reinstated. We will be collecting feed-back during the season before we decide if this event will be continued.

The Teachers’ meeting on Friday evening was very well attended. Teachers submitted items for discussion prior to the deadline for entries, and these were compiled into an agenda for group discussion. Various decisions and recommendations are summarized below. Remember, the new season will start September 1, 2005.

The World’s Most Beautiful Majorette Pageant will be held in Bryan, Ohio, November 26 and 27. This is the only competition that uses a contestant’s age the day of the event as her contest age. Anyone who has won either a first place or a second place in Miss Majorette of the Month from last year’s Pageant up until this year’s Pageant is eligible to enter.

The World’s Most Beautiful Majorette Pageant is a pageant for baton twirlers who enjoy modeling, NOT models who haphazardly throw together a brief baton twirling routine so that they will be able to participate. It is the responsibility of teachers to teach a well-balanced baton twirling routine to all those who wish to compete in this Pageant. In addition, a student should be competing regularly in contests throughout the season to establish that she is a baton twirler first and a model second.

The contest director and/or judge will have the authority to disqualify an individual without a proper routine.

So that there is no confusion, for the Holiday Majorette Spectacular (the baton twirling competition preceding the Pageant), a contestant must use her "contest age"; in other words, the age she is on September 1, 2005. For the Pageant on the next day, she must use the age she is on that day, her "pageant age."

Don’t forget the Miss High School Majorette competition in Bryan, Ohio, on November 26^th. Performing high school band twirlers are eligible to enter this prestigious event. See rulebook.

We have offered a Savings Bond Program for Advanced twirlers for many years. Now, we extend that program to Intermediate twirlers.

Beginning with awards that are earned in September of 2005, Intermediate twirlers may turn in their 1^st place trophies for the five major events (Fancy Best Appearing, Military Best Appearing, Fancy Strutting, Military Strutting, and Solo Twirling) for credits toward a Savings Bond.

At each contest, a competitor may fill out a form stating the date, location, and event for each trophy she wishes to redeem, ask the director to sign, and then turn in her trophy/trophies. When the page is full, it will be exchanged for a Savings Bond.

Although the World Twirling Association permits a group that does not meet the minimum performing member requirement to perform for comment sheet only so that they can qualify for Nationals, it is imperative the group perform a fully developed routine. A salute, a couple of twirls, and a final salute do not make a proper routine.

Therefore, the contest director and/or judge will have the authority to disqualify a group without a proper routine.

If a group appears at a competition without the correct number of performers, it is recommended that the corps or team perform for comment sheet only, rather than disturb the pre-planned line-up and ask to be put in a different division or move from large team to small team.

In a true emergency, the contest director has the option to accommodate such changes, but it will be the teacher’s responsibility to update the posted line-up so that everyone else will be informed of their place in the revised line-up.

We will continue with this classification for Twirling Teams and Dance-Twirl Teams. The purpose of this event is to allow teams that have limited experience and, perhaps, are Novice and Beginner twirlers in individual events to compete on an even footing with other teams who are just starting out. Although we will not be checking classifications of individual team members, we trust that teachers will use this event in the spirit in which it is intended.

The following limitations will be enforced for Novice Teams:

No Toss Cartwheel

No Toss Illusion

No Toss Reverse Illusion

No Toss Walkover

No Toss Somersault

No more than a Toss Two Spin Flat

No more than a Toss Two Spin Vertical

If a Novice Team performs one of the above tricks, it will receive a comment sheet only, no scores and, therefore, no placing.

Novice Teams will not be permitted to double enter at any contest, including Regionals, State, and Nationals. A Novice Team should enter only the Novice category.

There will no longer be a Special Beginner Solo Twirling event. Instead, those contestants should enter Novice Solo Twirling. The same

limitations listed above for Novice Teams will be enforced:

No Toss Cartwheel

No Toss Illusion

No Toss Reverse Illusion

No Toss Walkover

No Toss Somersault

No more than a Toss Two Spin Flat

No more than a Toss Two Spin Vertical

If a Novice Solo competitor performs one of the above tricks, she will receive a comment sheet only, no scores and, therefore, no placing.

A contestant may enter Novice Solo Twirling so long as she has not won more than three (3) first place wins in Solo Twirling (in any organization).

As stated earlier in this newsletter, Novice Twirlers may not perform more than a 2-spin, either vertically or horizontally. When a twirler disregards this limitation, she will be disqualified.

To vie for a Novice title, a contestant must not have won over 3 first places in Solo Twirling. She must enter Beginner’s Basic Box Strut, Beginner’s Military Box Strut, and Novice Solo Twirling.

These titles will be offered at State contests as well as at the World Majorette Festival.

Beginner Twirlers may not perform more than a 3-spin, either vertically or horizontally. When a twirler disregards this limitation, she will be disqualified.

To compete for a Beginner’s title, a contestant must not have won more than eight (8) first places in Solo Twirling. When counting first places, a twirler must count ALL first places regardless of what organization hosted the competition.

In addition to Solo Twirling, a contestant must enter Beginner’s Fancy Strutting, Beginner’s Military Strutting, and Beginner’s Solo Twirling.

These titles will be offered at State contests as well as at the World Majorette Festival.

Beginning September 1, 2005, Special Beginners Fancy Strut and Special Beginners Military Strut will be replaced with Novice Fancy Strut and Novice Military Strut.

The requirements include no more than three (3) first place wins in Fancy Strutting to enter Novice Fancy Strut, and no more than three (3) first place wins in Military Strut to enter Novice Military Strut.

Special Beginner status will remain unchanged for Box Struts. A contestant may enter Special Beginners Basic Box Strut if she has never won a first place award in any strutting event, such as Box Strut, Parade Majorette, Fancy Strutting, Military Box Strut, Military Strutting, Fancy Strutting Duets, and Freestyle.

To enter Beginners Box Strut, a contestant must not have won over eight first places in any and all strutting events (same as above).

When a contestant has accumulated over eight first places in strutting events, she may enter Advanced Basic Box Strut.

A contestant may enter Special Beginners Military Box Strut if she has never won a first place award in Military Box Strut or Military Strutting.

To enter Beginners Military Box Strut, a contestant must not have won over eight first places in Military Box Strut or Military Strutting.

When a contestant has accumulated over eight first places in Military Box Strut and Military Strutting, she may enter Advanced Military Box Strut.

Since more and more Show Corps are using backdrops, vision for the audience is obscured. Therefore, in certain facilities, where enough room exists for placing the judges on the audience side of the performing area, the Show Corps will be able to perform facing the audience.

Although both Open and Championship events will be offered for Corps and Teams at Regional and State competitions, each team and corps may enter the same event only once. In other words, if a group wishes to enter Jr. Strut Line at a Regional and/or a State contest, it may enter EITHER Open Jr. Strut Line OR Championship Jr. Strut Line.

So that they can remain in a lower classification (for future championships), it has been noted that some contestants are avoiding 1^st places by entering the next higher classification only. We have already pointed out that competitors must count ALL of their first places, whether they are won at WTA competitions or at any other organization‘s contest(s).

We recommend that competitors enter their own classification. We do not feel it is WTA’s responsibility to police a contestant’s entry choices. Rather, we feel that it is each parent’s and teacher’s responsibility to supervise their child’s and/or student’s choices. The Honor System trusts contestants, parents, and teachers to make honest decisions, and we, therefore, urge each of you to help each other make sound, honest decisions.

Teachers should respect the intent of a rule that has been established for the safety of the competitors and not try to find "loop holes" in order to squeeze in some kind of lift, mount, gymnastics, etc.

This rule apples to ALL events involving more than one person: all corps events, all team events, all duet events.

Under Pom-Pon routine, for example, the rulebook description says, "Routine should consist of a variety of dance steps and pom-pon movements." Nothing is mentioned of any kind of gymnastics. One of the recommendations at the Teachers’ Meeting included the statement that "All contestants must have one foot on the ground for all poses." Another included, "One body part must be on the floor at all times." We don’t want to exclude a jump or a leap, however. The final wording will be, "Tricks wherein a person’s support is dependent upon another person or persons are prohibited because of the danger of falling."

Everyone who reads this surely understands the intent of the ruling. We are baton twirlers first. We do not perform with mats or with spotters. We discourage ANY trick in any routine that compromises the safety of the competitors.

Contestants who disregard this rule and/or stretch the intent of the recommendation shall, at the judge’s discretion, be disqualified from the event.

A special feature of the Awards Program on Sunday was the encore performances of two of Saturday’s Championship teams.

Congratulations to the Miniature Small Dance-Twirl team Showstoppers and to the Jr. Small Dance-Twirl team Starlighters, New York Minute!

We will continue honoring two of the outstanding teams with an encore performance next summer.

Rulebooks

We suggest that members of the World Twirling Association purchase a new rulebook each year. Revisions are made in the fall after every Nationals. You may purchase rulebooks for only $15.00 at any contest or by contacting W.T.A. Headquarters.