Ceremony Competition Guidelines
The purpose of ceremonial team competition is to improve ceremonial standards in a Lodge by providing an opportunity for teams to view each other in action and to share techniques. All teams are encouraged to be present and watch each other perform.
1. Qualifications and General Information
a. All team members must be from the same Lodge. It is important that the teams performing can actually perform in local ordeals, and are not “all star” teams put together for competition only.
b. Each participant must be under 21 years of ages.
c. All teams must register using Forms 10 and 11 by April 1, 2009.
d. Each participant must be in American Indian style dress. Any show of disrespect, carelessness, and/or gross inappropriateness (such as fancy dance outfitting) may cause disqualification of the team.
e. Parts must be fully memorized. Individual team members will be penalized for omitting words and/or sentences.
f. Each team will be assigned a time to compete by the Section Indian Affairs Coordinator. Conflicts with other competitions will be taken into consideration. Please inform the IA Coordinator of all such conflicts. Competition times will be announced at the Friday night COC at Conclave.
g. Use of face paint, body paint, and wigs are prohibited. (See p. 28 of the Guide for Officers and Advisers)
h. Lodges may enter as many teams as they choose.
2. Performing the Ceremony
Pre-Ordeal Competition: Each team will perform the Pre-Ordeal Ceremony beginning with Nutiket saying “Awake my friends” and ending with Kitchkinet saying “Let us try to find the Arrow.” Each team must use the most recent edition of the ceremony text.
Brotherhood Competition: Each team will perform the Brotherhood Ceremony beginning Allowat saying “Brothers form our circle” and ending with Allowat saying “You will now take your places in the circle.” Each team must use the most recent edition of the ceremony text.
3. Performance
Each team will be ready at the assigned time, even if the competition is running behind schedule. Judges will be allocated 5 minutes for scoring and 5 minutes for reviewing with each team.
4. Judging
There must be a minimum of 5 judges. The scores will be normalized and the high and low scores will be dropped. Each judge should have sufficient word-for-word knowledge of the ceremonies that he will notice deviations without having to refer to the text. He will have worked with ceremony teams for at least 2 years within the past 5 years. A separate judge will be used to access correctness of memory. The Section IA Committee will provide a head judge and such other judges as it wishes in addition to the lodge provided judges. Lodges are asked to provide at least one adult judge for every ceremony a lodge intends to participate. There will be judges meeting on Saturday prior to the competitions. Please consult the Conclave Calendar for time and location.
5. Evaluation
Performances will be evaluated for their potential to reach candidates with the ideas and spirit of the Order. Specifically they will be evaluated for the following:
a. Expressiveness – depth of feeling, warmth, energy, naturalness (8 points); meaningful emphasis, voice modulation (8 points); gestures, naturalness, and appropriateness (8 points)
b. Understandability – clarity (6 points); voice projection (6 points); rate of delivery (6 points)
c. Manner – bearing, walk, creation of character (6 points); attitude when not speaking (6 points)
d. Accuracy of memorization – (6 points)
e. Staging – teamwork, smoothness, effectiveness of staging techniques, and overall impression (20 points per team)
Judges shall not penalize teams for alternate pronunciations of the four principal parts; however, they may penalize teams for inconsistent pronunciations. Each Lodge shall agree upon a consistent pronunciation for their Lodge.
Total possible Individual Score: 60 points. Total possible Team Score: 260 points.
6. Judges Conferences
Consultation among the judges may be held at the discretion of the head judge. If consultation does not resolve the discrepancy, the head judge, and/or Section Indian Affairs Coordinator with consultation of the Section Indian Affairs Adviser may resolve the issue through disqualification of incongruous scoring.
7. Results
Each team will receive a spot evaluation after their performance. In addition, the score sheets will be given to your Lodge Key 3 at the Saturday night COC meeting to be given to the team adviser or chairman. Judges will be instructed to emphasize good points, constructive criticism, and other assistance for improvement.
8. Awards
Awards will be given to the top three teams in both the Pre-Ordeal and Brotherhood Ceremonies. Awards will be given to the top three individuals for each principal in each ceremony. All judges’ decisions are final.