TSJA

TRISTATE JUDGES ASSOCIATION

Newsletter

Greetings!!!!

Greetings Tri-State Circuit Staffs, Members, Judges, and Fans!

The 2007 season is well underway and the creativity, artistry and everything else that is pagentry is very much alive again in the Tri-State!

It's been great to witness the consistent progression of all the circuit units over the years, even simply as it relates to your preparation. There was a time at Preview Day when most groups would have a few seconds, not minutes of their programs to share and the event itself was better measured in minutes, not hours. This type of planning and preparation is what enables staffs and performers to focus on the most important thing during the rest of the season- - - -excellence!

When it comes down to it, excellence is at the core of this activity and represents a significant percentage of your derived score. The type of precision necessary to be successful at any level can only be achieved through training, repetition, more training, and more repetition. It's a continual process that has to be the focus of your rehearsal time. With the snow days this winter, design teams may have lost those few precious minutes of gym time needed to finish off the show or fill in those final few phrases. It's tempting to spend all the time the next couple weeks getting "caught-up", but don't get "caught-up" in the design pursuit at the expense of developing skills, reinforcing technique, offering ample time for repetition, and decreasing the performers tolerance for error. A consistent approach to these things during practice time and the allocation of time to fundamentals/basics exercises every rehearsal will more than likely result in more consistent performances and greater growth for the performers. As the performers grow so will the show.

The bottom line. . . . don't forget about the basics. Spend at least as much time teaching and practicing the HOW as you do teaching and designing the WHAT.

Thanks for continuing to make our winter Saturdays (and the occassional Sunday) an entertaining and enjoyable day in the gym each and every weekend. The level of talent and creativity in this area makes this a great place to judge!! Wishing all the circuit units safe travel, good times, and much success!

Best regards,
The TSJA