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Change to Championship Seeding Formula - 1 Passed at the Caucus
Proposal: For the purposes of Championship seeding, when a Unit is promoted from RA to SA sheets 8 points will be subtracted from the each raw score the unit earned while performing in RA class. This is necessary to adjust the score earned in RA class to the comparable score in SA class. An eight point comparison is the number used by the classification committee for promotion. (If a unit is moved from SA to RA, 8 points would be added to each raw score)
Rationale: When a unit is judged on RA sheets the criteria is such that if the unit is performing at a promotion level they will achieve scores that are on the high end of the RA sheet, and is not the same criteria as the SA sheets. When those high scores are transferred with the unit as it moves to SA class, it allows for an inflated score to be figured into the average, throwing off the correct seeding.
Financial Impacts to SFWGA: none Financial Impacts to Units: none
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Change to Championship Seeding Formula - 2 Passed as Amended at the Caucus
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Update to follow
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Rationale: Encourages attendance at local contests and increases the success of the contest for the Host.
Financial Impacts to SFWGA: none Financial Impacts to Units: Admission ticket and concession sales for the Contest Hosts would be greater
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"Buy-Out" of Required Performances Defeated at the Caucus
Proposal: Add a provision for SFWGA Member units who are unable to compete in the minimum number of contests to be eligible for Championships. The provision would permit the unit to pay a "buy out" fee to the SFWGA and the Contest Host, excusing them from the contest but retaining their eligibility for Championships.

Rationale: The SFWGA currently sets a minimum number of required contests a unit must participate in to be eligible to compete in Championships. This minimum is necessary to ensure Member Units financially support the Contest Hosts through admission and concession sales, as well as the SFWGA through Host Fees. There are occasional hardship situations where a member unit needs to drop out of a contest causing it to fall below the minimum, thus jeopardizing its eligibility for Championships. This proposal creates a provision by which the affected unit may exercise an option to "buy out" of the contest by paying the contest host the expected revenue its performers and spectators would have generated, and paying to the SFWGA the revenue its participation would have generated through the Host Fee.

Note: This option only applies to units when dropping a contest causes them to fall below the elgibility requirements for Championships.

During 2010
, on average, each participating unit at a contest generated admission ticket revenue of $168 (14 paid admissions @ $12) and concession stand revenue of $96.00 (40% spend $5) for a total of $264, out of which the Host pays to the SFWGA a Host fee of $114. Therefore, a unit may "buy out" of a contest, retaining its eligibility for Championships, by paying a "buy out" fee of $264, (of which $150 goes to the Contest Host and $114 goes to the SFWGA.) By exercising this option, the unit would retain its eligibility for Championships.

This fee is in lieu of the traditional $150 withdrawal fee, but does not replace the $400 late withdrawal/no show fee.

Financial Impacts to SFWGA: none Financial Impacts to Units: Units that choose to excercise this option will pay an additional drop fee, but will retain their eligibility for Championships.
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Revision Process for Policy & Procedure Passed at the Caucus
Proposal: Revise Article 11:B as follows: Proposals must be submitted in writing two weeks prior to the date of the Summer Caucus. Proposals will be discussed and voted on at the Summer Caucus. Each person in attendance at the Caucus will have one vote. Proposals that are approved at the Caucus will become effective immediately.
Amend Article 11:C to replace October 1st with "two weeks prior to the date of the Summer Caucus"
Amend Article 11:D to replace October 1st with "two weeks prior to the date of the Summer Caucus"
Rationale: Revise the written Policy and Procedure amendment process to align with the Summer Caucus process currently in use.
Financial Impacts to SFWGA: none Financial Impacts to Units: none
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Revision Process for Bylaws Passed at the Caucus, pending membership approval on Oct 17

Proposal: Revise Article 6:B and 6:D as follows: Proposals must be submitted in writing two weeks prior to the date of the Summer Caucus. Proposals will be discussed and voted on at the Summer Caucus. Each person in attendance at the Caucus will have one vote. Proposals that are approved at the Caucus will be forwarded to the voting Membership at the September/October General Membership meeting for final approval. Each Member Unit in good standing and in attendance at the September/October General Membership Meeting will have one vote. Amendments that are approved at the September/October General Membership meeting will become effecive immediately.
Amend Article 6:B to replace October 1st with "two weeks prior to the date of the Summer Caucus"

Rationale: Revise the written Policy and Procedure amendment process to align with the Summer Caucus process currently in use.
Financial Impacts to SFWGA: none Financial Impacts to Units: none
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Safety and Legal Compliance Passed at the Caucus, pending membership approval on Oct 17
Proposal: The SFWGA Directors/Officers (President, Vice Presidents, Secretary) shall act as final authority in matters of safety and legal compliance.
Rationale: The Directors/Officers are on file with the Florida Secretary of State as personally accountable for all actions of the Association. As such, these elected Officers must have the final authority in all matters that directly involve safety, liability of the Association, and compliance with laws.
Financial Impacts to SFWGA: none Financial Impacts to Units: none
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Staff and Director Passes Passed as amended at the Caucus
Proposal: I propose that all scholastic units receive 1 extra pass for the band director of the school in addition to the usual wrist bands and/or passes they receive when they check in. This 'band director' pass would act the same as the wrist band but will be specific to the band director, with their name on the pass so they are the only ones to be able to use it. This pass can be used at all SFWGA contests.
Rationale: I can only refer to the state of Florida, but the band director (in most situations) is required to be at every performance due to the fact that each competition the unit attends is a school sponsored field trip and a school faculty member (typically the band director) is required to be in attendance as it is their students on the field trip. Unfortunately, some directors are only at the shows because they have to and some don't even go into the arena because they don't want to use up one of the wrist bands that could be used for their staff. I see it only appropriate to provide a generic band director pass, or a specifically named band director pass so that the individual typically placed in charge of the scholastic units has a necessary pass to attend the unit's performance.

Further, the amount of 'extra' passes received for chaperones and floor crew isn't nearly enough, so there is already money being spent by each unit for extra passes. This would help the band director attend their units performance (as many only want to see their unit perform) and will help with the required supervision by the band director.
Financial Impacts to SFWGA: The financial impact would be minimal. It would be one extra pass for each school regardless of the number of units participating. Some units already use up a wrist band, but then the unit incurs the cost of the band director to attend and this simple seems inappropriate as the band director is technically required to attend based on county policy.

Amended by SFWGA: The cost of the additional wristbands for 59 band directors is $325.00 annually.
Financial Impacts to Units: If implemented, this would save the scholastic units the small cost of buying extra passes for the band director at each show.

Amended by SFWGA: The impact to Contest Hosts for reduction in gate revenue is ~ $276 per contest (59 scholasitic units participated in 2010. By issuing each unit a dedicated Band Director pass, an additional instructor/chaperon/prop pass would be available to the 23 units that issued the maximum instructor passes, thereby reducing gate revenue for each hosts by those extra badges (23 x $12 = $276)
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WGI Regional Attendance (Color Guard) Defeated at the Caucus see 2011 Attendance Requirements below
Proposal: Allow one WGI Florida regional to count as an SFWGA show towards Championships.
Rationale: With the absence of a color guard regional in South Florida , I feel this allows us to keep the idea of attending a regional the same as it has been in the past.
Financial Impacts to SFWGA: None

Amended by SFWGA: The cost to the SFWGA for lost Contest Host fees is $228 annually, based on 2010 contest host fees and the 2 color guard units that used attendance at a regional to meet the minimum number of qualifying contests for Championships during 2010.
Financial Impacts to Units: None

Amended by the SFWGA: The cost to contest hosts for lost spectator admission and concession is ~ $300 annually, based on 2010 attendance records and the 2 color guard units that used attendance at a regional to meet the minimum number of qualifying contests for Championships during 2010.


Attendance Requirement (Percussion) Defeated at the Caucus see 2011 Attendance Requirements below
Proposal: The required number of performances be set as 3 total to gain eligibility to perform at the SFWGA Championships (i.e. - Premier + 2 shows (only "one" FL Regional can count towards this requirement) = SFWGA Championships eligibility).
Rationale: The expense to move a percussion unit one additional show impacted percussion budgets that were not planned for based on prior years' requirements. (i.e. - box truck(s), fuel, tolls, etc.) It was never a problem in the past so why can't we just solidify the number of required shows as part of an understanding that is consistent.
Financial Impacts to SFWGA: Would save the SFWGA one panel of Percussion Judges' expense within a season.

Amended by SFWGA: The cost to the SFWGA for lost Contest Host fees in counting attendance at a WGI regional toward Championship requirements is $1,140 annually, based on 2010 contest host fees and the 10 percussion units that used attendance at a regional to meet the minimum number of qualifying contests for Championships during 2010.
Financial Impacts to Units: Savings of the additional expense of one more show being added to the schedule, unlike past seasons.

Amended by the SFWGA: The cost to contest hosts for lost spectator admission and concession is ~ $1,500 annually, based on 2010 attendance records and the 10 percussion units that used attendance at a regional to meet the minimum number ofqualifying contests for Championships during 2010.


Percussion Contests Passed at the Caucus
Proposal: Have a committee of at least three people recommend which shows are designated as percussion contests. Ideally this committee should be made up of a variety of people (ex 1 scholasitic percussion person, 1 independent percussion person, 1 contest host and/or board member.
Rationale: This will create a well rounded panel for selecting which contests would have percussion.
Financial Impacts to SFWGA: none Financial Impacts to Units: none


2011 Color Guard Contest Participation Requirements for Championship Eligibility

2011 Percussion Contest Participation Requirments for Championship Elgibility

For additional information on new 2011 Contest rules and requirements, please review the minutes of the August 29th Summer Rules Caucus on the Instructors Page.

Rules Changes for the 2011 Season
The following proposals were discussed and decided as indicated at the August 29th Caucus.