Invitational Competitions

[Pylon]

Has any unit ever done an invitational color guard or drill team competition that you've known of?

I was considering putting together an Invitational tournament competition for either drill teams or color guards and hosting it at my Group on a weekend in the summer.  The teams would pay a nominal fee, of say $15, which would go towards a nice sum of money for the winning team(s) and some nice plaques.  Units from wherever could enter a team, but I'd forsee teams only within the Wing or, at most, adjoining Wings wanting to enter and travel. 

It also seems appealing because, as it stands now, there will be no New York Wing color guard competitions this year.   I'm thinking that the logistics shouldn't be amazingly difficult, outside of organizing a schedule and securing some competent judges.  Any ideas, insights, or previous experiences with any beast like this?

[arajca]

Some things to consider:

1. CAP only or open?
2. What events? Drill/Demonstration, PT, written testing,
3. How long would the competition be?
4. Before setting a fee, calculate the costs. Trophies, plaques, certificates, space rental, food, support costs, etc.
5. Determine how many teams you want to compete.

If you carry it out, write everything down. Who knows, a well written plan could be submitted to National as a resource to help get more cadets motivated in DT/CG.

Also, PUBLICIZE the heck out of it. Invite the press. Make it open to the public to see. Send pictures to National with a story. Invite community leaders - particularly those interested in youth programs. Get the wing commander to present the winning trophy.

[Greg]

We are sorta toying with the idea, but right now we've got a lot more important stuff to take care of.  Not only would it be a great activity, but if you charge a couple extra dollars than necessary per team (while still keeping a relatively low overall price), the host squadron could get some extra funds for it.  Not sure how that works out with all the finance regs that I've never even taken a look at though.

[arajca]

Depend how much the difference is, it is a non issue - as long as it is properly accounted for. It's like charging members for an activity (say a overnight ES training) $10.00 when it costs $9.37 per member. Most folks deal with even dollar amounts better than odd penny amounts - even if the dollar amount is from rounding up.

[Pylon]

Yeah, well I'm not looking to make a profit on the event (though if it did work out like that, it would be great to put towards more cadet programs), I'm just looking to be able to put together a nice prize amount for the winning team and some nice awards.  There's got to be some incentive for people to travel for a day and go through the trouble of the competition (though there are other benefits for participants including good practice for their Wing/Regional competitions and recognition).

I'm sure I could get the facility for free (ANG base) - they let us use their classroom facilities and whatnot all the time, whenever we need them.  There's a large, unpainted, freshly paved parking lot where a building once stood which would make an excellent spot and drill pad.  The classrooms could be used for the rest of the needs (such as announcing winners, registration, etc).  Food can be had at the members expense at the base dining hall (all you can eat for about $3), which is quite good food too.   The only troubles I forsee is finding knowledgable judges, making sure enough teams sign-up, and making sure costs meet revenue.

I got a suggestion from someone to contact a person who just ran a Wing CG Competition, so I'm going to give him an email and chat about the logistics involved.

[Yoda]

Some things to consider:

1. CAP only or open?
2. What events? Drill/Demonstration, PT, written testing,
3. How long would the competition be?
4. Before setting a fee, calculate the costs. Trophies, plaques, certificates, space rental, food, support costs, etc.
5. Determine how many teams you want to compete.

If you carry it out, write everything down. Who knows, a well written plan could be submitted to National as a resource to help get more cadets motivated in DT/CG.

Also, PUBLICIZE the heck out of it. Invite the press. Make it open to the public to see. Send pictures to National with a story. Invite community leaders - particularly those interested in youth programs. Get the wing commander to present the winning trophy.

I can't see it as a feasible "open to all cadet programs" at this stage in the game.  Because we're going to be dealing with CAP material and AF drill, most other organizations probably wouldn't do so hot at it.  Perhaps sometime in the future, but I really think it should get off the ground for CAP first.

[Pylon]

So far, so good.  I got in contact with a Major Paik from Illinois Wing who had run a very successful Wing Cadet Competition; he was a major help in getting my planning focused in the right direction.

Looks like this will take a good deal of planning and effort, and will need a number of (impartial) Senior Member volunteers, but should be very interesting.

I am thinking that I will want to limit the competition to no more than 8 teams (for time purposes), but I will want 3 of those teams to be the 3 cadet units in my Group.  So, I was thinking, just send out invitations and Calls for Applications to just about every unit in the NorthEast and take the first five or so to apply and pay the entry fee?

Also, does anybody know what is an acceptable/common entry fee for a Color Guard Competition?

This should be interesting.  If I goes well in the end, I would even consider making this an annual event.