How would you define A class?

[Jak]

I saw this at a regional this year also with a recently resigned PRES...you would think the Queen MUM had arrived and how they were kissing BUTT and earlier wouldnt give others the time of day. SHAME SHAME !!!!

but ooooo so typical......

This behavior is certainly common. I teach an SA group, but am fortunate to teach with someone who is very well connected in the activity. There's no doubt that we get treated well, both in our circuit and at WGI events. I'm certainly not saying that we get an unfair advantage competitively, but when the Contest Director, T&P guy, Regional Director, Chief Judge, Sound guy, etc. are all old friends, they're going to be a little nicer. It's human nature. The truth is (sad though it may be), one of the best things you can do for your program is get chummy with the big shots in the activity.

[tradition]

How would I define the A Class....in particular the Independent A Class......WGI's redheaded step child

[dugg]

How would I define the A Class....in particular the Independent A Class......WGI's redheaded step child

Edited March 20, 2009 by dugg

[combia1]

I've always joked that I was going to find a "M. Gaines" or a "S. Chandler" in the phonebook, pay them $5 to come watch a rehearsal and give us an opinion, and then list "M. Gaines" or "S. Chandler" on our spiel sheet.

I bet our scores would go up and we would place higher.

[Flag Guy]

I for one would still like to know what a basic skill is in the A class. No one has ever been able to explain it to me. Also I think the age range is too broad. A guard from a college with the right instructor is going to be able to handle and perform much more then a guard made up of HS age kids and younger.

it's kind of true but you also have to look at the finalists from the past couple of years....alot of them were in middleschool or high school. I know people that won jewelry at wgi at 11 without the hardest show. It was designed for A class, and technique was hammered into them.

I love the idea of compulsories, but not to the extent of figure skating lately, because that turned of of their shows into the same exact thing....you know whats coming up beforehand.

another little tangent: I went to a regional lately where i saw a class shows taking design strategies from world class ie, having multiple little groups doing alot of stuff. There was no ensemble moments. In world class it works because of the training they have. in a class the technique isn't there and it just looks like a huge mess on the floor.

[Flag Guy]

hhmm

I think the the A class saw it's best years in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s. The programs that made WGI finals were logical, straight forward, and to the point. Entertaining and educational (for the students). I urge you (whoever is reading this) to go back and watch the A class champions from 1995-2000. And then pop in the medalists from 2007 and 2008. Completely different approaches.

I TOTALLY agree with you on this.

Remember also after 2002, all a class finalists got bumped to open. in 2003, guards that most likely would not have made finals if those other groups were still in a class were getting medals. There was a serious drop in quality of a class finalists. And also, after 2003, most of the guards that were bumped to open either folded or went back down to a class because they had a n abysmal year, because they weren't ready for open class

[ediejoy]

THANK YOU! That's kind of my issue. I decided to step out of the cookiecutting box and have been getting slapped on the hand all season. My kids however have been sort of rock stars when they get back in the stands. The great debate is a. be fan fave or b. place top 3. I can't bring myself to do same ol'-same ol'. To have to listen to that day in day out for 5 months....no thanks.

OH MY GOODNESS!!! I could have written your post! That is exactly us this year too!

[backntheday]

At a recent regional I sat and listened to a designer who has had teams do well and not do so well in the A class. After his expanation of "being tired of it" he said so this year "I sold out" and look at us we will most likley be in the top of the class. He went on to say that he will continue to not challenge himself creatively and will continue to give them what they want a pretty ballad with soft smiles. His kids are not frustrated. It's amazing what you hear in line for the concession stand.

[Jak]

At a recent regional I sat and listened to a designer who has had teams do well and not do so well in the A class. After his expanation of "being tired of it" he said so this year "I sold out" and look at us we will most likley be in the top of the class. He went on to say that he will continue to not challenge himself creatively and will continue to give them what they want a pretty ballad with soft smiles. His kids are not frustrated. It's amazing what you hear in line for the concession stand.

I know there's some truth in that, and there are definitely some bad judges out there. However, when your group doesn't do as well as you would like, the easiest thing in the world is to say "Oh, the judges just don't get it." Too often lack of preparation, insufficent training, poor design qualities, and a whole multitude of other sins is covered by a "We're just too intellectual/artistic/outside the box" attitude. If I don't get the results I want, I've found it's more productive to think about what I could have done differently than to think about who I can blame for it.

[the lone ranger]

I know there's some truth in that, and there are definitely some bad judges out there. However, when your group doesn't do as well as you would like, the easiest thing in the world is to say "Oh, the judges just don't get it." Too often lack of preparation, insufficent training, poor design qualities, and a whole multitude of other sins is covered by a "We're just too intellectual/artistic/outside the box" attitude. If I don't get the results I want, I've found it's more productive to think about what I could have done differently than to think about who I can blame for it.

amen! ive seen some very well designed, and CREATIVE scholastic A shows this year do very well. enough with excuses. good design is good design, no matter how you slice it. if you think your a better designer than what your getting credit for, go be in open class, or else stop complaining.