DIFFERENT KINDS OF USTA CONTESTS
REGULAR USTA CONTEST -
In California, the USTA contest season usually begins in November or December . Contests are generally scheduled about once a month through April and are sponsored by individual baton clubs from all over Northern California. The contest schedule is available in early September. You can find it on the CA Baton Council web site.
PATSY HAMILTON MEMORIAL CONTEST (Council Contest) -
Usually in late April or early May, this contest is sponsored by the USTA California Baton Council. It is a regular contest except for the PHMC Twilroff. All twirlers who have won the PHMC Divisional Medal over the year in Solo and/or Strut twirl off in a prestigious divisional. The top 2 in each age division (Primary, Juvenile, Junior, and Senior) twirl off in the Finals. It is an honor to participate in this event. The proceeds from this contest help fund the California State Championships.
MAY MADNESS -
The same weekend as State, usually around Memorial Day weekend, this is the open contest that precedes State. It generally begins at 8:00am. Only Beginning and Intermediate levels are offered in Solo, Strut, and Dance Twirl Events. Advanced events are only offered in Foundation Events. Advanced soloists compete in State Championship events.
CA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS -
Usually around Memorial Day weekend. After all the teams have twirled, there is an awards ceremony (called a “Retreat”) that is fun to participate in. All of the twirlers parade into the gym and line up, in costume, with their team. As the awards are announced, two pre-selected members of the team go forward to receive their team’s trophy. The coach makes this selection. The contest generally concludes at around 7:00pm. The Advanced contest for Individual Events is held on Sunday. It starts at 8:00am and is an all-day event.
WESTERN REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS -
Usually the third or fourth weekend in June, this contest is very much like State except that it includes twirlers from all of the Western States. Western Regional Pre-Trials are also held that weekend, usually the morning of the first day of the contest.
WESTERN REGIONAL PRE-TRIALS -
This is held the same weekend as the Western Regional Championships and is the qualifying competition for the National Pre-Trials. The events are the same as the World Trials except they include Levels A, AA, AAA, and Elite. Contestants earning qualifying scores at the AA, AAA, and Elite levels may compete at the U.S. Pre-Trials which is held in conjunction with the National Championships. This is fun to watch because the twirlers are allowed to choose their own music and they are allowed a little more creative control. Clarification: Athletes competing at the A level at Regionals Pre-Trials are ranked at that competition. They do not compete at U.S. Pre-Trials.
USTA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS -
This is the big event of the year and lasts for about eight days in mid-July. “Nationals” is the advanced twirling contest, while “Festival of the Future” is the open contest for beginning and intermediate twirlers. The “U.S. Pre-Trials” is also held at this time and is open to competitors who qualified at their Regional Pre-Trials. The schedule and information for this event are available in the fall at: http://ustwirling.com
WORLD TRIALS -
Beginning 2008, the World Championships will take place every other year. It will take place in even numbered years and alternate with the International Cup Championships. For the World Championships, the best Junior and Senior Soloists, Pairs and Teams compete to represent the United States at World Championships (in France, Italy, Canada, etc.) They also get the honor of paying for this trip by themselves so begin saving up now! Junior Soloists compete in 2 categories – Elite Compulsories and Freestyle. Senior Soloists compete in Elite Short Program and Freestyle. Pairs compete with Freestyle Pair routine and Teams compete with aTwirl Team routine. Trials are usually scheduled the last weekend in March or the first weekend in April. Juniors are 12-16 and Seniors are 17 and up.
The following number of competitors are selected at Trials:
Junior Women Soloists – 3 and 1 alternate
Junior Men Soloists – 3 and 1 alternate
Junior Pairs – 1 pair
Senior Women Soloists – 3 and 1 alternate
Senior Men Soloists – 3 and 1 alternate
Senior Pairs – 1 pair
Team – 1 team of 8 members and up to 2 alternates
INTERNATIONAL CUP -
International Cup takes place every other year. It takes place in odd numbered years and alternates with the World Championships. Qualifying usually occurs at the National Championships the year before the International Cup competition. The events now include:
One Baton – A and Elite levels; Junior, Senior, Adult
Two Baton – A and Elite levels; Junior, Senior, Adult
Three Baton – A and Elite levels; Junior, Senior, Adult
Artistic Twirl (1/4 of floor) – A and Elite levels; Junior, Senior, Adult; Men, Women
Artistic Pairs (1/4 of floor) – A and Elite levels; Junior, Senior, Adult
Teams (Up to 8 members) – A and Elite levels
Groups (More than 8 members) – A and Elite levels
Six contestants will qualify in each individual category (i.e. Jr. A One Baton.) Three will qualify in Pairs, Teams, and Groups. Check the USTA web site for specific rules for each category. While a “B” Level is offered, beginning 2013, the U.S. will not compete in any events at that level. It is possible that the U.S. could compete at the “B” Level in years that the International Cup Competition is held in the U.S., but that decision would be determined at that time.
AGE DIVISIONS AT STATE, REGIONALS AND NATIONALS
The age divisions for championship events at these contests depend on the number of contestants. The following divisions will be used for USTA Nationals as of 2012 and may or may not be used for State and Regional events.
SINGLE AGE: If there are enough contestants in the Solo, Strut, Two-Baton, or Dance Twirl categories, that event will begin competition at the single age category. Those categories are: 0-6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21+.
If there are 15 or more contestants in the age category, there is a “Qualifying” round. Twirlers in each age division compete to qualify for the top seven positions and the opportunity to twirl in the Preliminary Round for the Age Championship. The top 2 contestants in each of the 0 – 8 age categories will proceed to the Primary Semi-Finals. The top 2 contestants in each of the 9 – 12 age categories will proceed to the Juvenile Semi-Finals. The top 2 contestants in each of the 13 – 16 age categories will proceed to the Junior Semi-Finals. The top 2 contestants from each of the 17 – 20 categories will proceed to the Senior Semi-Finals. The top 7 contestants from the 21 and over categories will proceed to the Adult Semi-Finals. They will compete there for the Division Championship. The Top 2 contestants from Junior, Senior, and Adult divisions will compete for the Grand Championship.
GROUPED AGE: If there are not enough contestants in the Solo, Strut, Two-Baton, or Dance Twirl categories, the event will begin at age division levels. Three-Baton and Men’s Solo usuallys begin at age divisions.
Those levels are:
Primary (8 and under)
Juvenile (9-12)
Junior (13-16)
Senior (17-20)
Adult (21 and over)
If there are 15 or more contestants in the age division, there is a “Qualifying” round. If there are a small number of entries in an age category, age groups may be combined.
SPECIAL NOTE FOR ALL CONTESTS: For all award ceremonies at the State and Regional Championships, including Team Retreats, athletes should enter the floor dressed their costumes or official USTA sweats. USTA Baton Twirling is a World-Class sport. Pictures taken during awards often end up in newspapers or magazines. Athletes wearing jeans or other street clothes at awards will not present the professional image that this sport deserves.
Please make an effort to remind your students or teammates to dress properly for awards.
WHAT HAPPENS AT A CONTEST?
TIME
Regular contests USUALLY begin at 8:30am. If your twirler’s team is performing, it is usually expected that you be there one-half hour early to warm up and practice. Ask your coach.
Programs for CA contests are available to print at the CA Baton website a couple of days before the contest. Last minute changes can be made to the program so always check the day before the contest to see if the program has been updated. The program lists the order of the teams and soloists. If you keep score at the contest, you can write down those scores next to the twirlers’ names. It helps to use a highlighter pen and mark the places where your twirler is to perform.
Beginning 2011, the order of events in CA will usually be:
- Teams – listed by team name, usually about 15 teams perform per hour.
- Foundation Events – listed by event and age, (i.e. Beg. Basic 7-8). Your child’s name will be listed in the program.
- Two-Baton, Three-Baton , Solo, and Pairs – Grouped by age, each soloist’s name is printed in the program in the order that they will perform. Generally, the earlier your entry is sent in, the further down the list you will be. (It is considered an advantage to twirl last.)
- Advanced Solo and Pairs- This solo is about 1/2 minute longer than Solo and uses different music.
- Strut – Same as solo.
- Dance Twirl and Dance Twirl Pairs – Same as Solo.
- Artistic Twirl and Artistic Pairs – This is an International Cup event and is for evaluation only.
LANES
At each regular contest there are three or more judges, one judge per lane. A table is set up for each one with their lane number on it. It is up to you to make sure that your child gets to the correct lane to perform at the correct time. Missed sets cannot be repeated.
HOW IS THE PROGRAM ORGANIZED?
TEAMS
Each round (or set) is listed in numerical order (i.e. 1, 2, 3). TEAM MEMBERS SHOULD STAY TOGETHER IN THE VIEWING AREA UNTIL THEIR COACH TAKES THEM TO THE SIDE TO LINE UP. IF YOU ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO WANDER AND PLAY AT THIS POINT, IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE COACH TO GATHER THE CHILDREN TO WARM THEM UP! If your child is on more than one team, have them change quickly after their first performance AND RETURN TO THE GROUP! Try to encourage them to watch the other groups and cheer for your group’s other teams!
FOUNDATION EVENTS (Basic, Military, and Presentation)
Each round (or set), is listed in numerical order. The twirler should report to the lane at the beginning of their age group. They should stand back quietly out of the way with their baton at their side. The judges do not like to see twirlers talking and/or practicing while they wait for their turn. When their age category is completed, they must return to the judge’s table to receive their awards. The twirler should salute if their name is called by the judge for an award. It is polite to wait until all of the awards have been given before your twirler leaves the judge’s table.
SOLO EVENTS
Each round (or set), is listed in numerical order. The twirler should be present at the correct lane when their name is called. It is a good idea for the twirler to arrive at his/her lane at least one set before they are due to go on. However, they must stand way back out of the twirling area and KEEP THEIR BATON AT THEIR SIDE! AGE CATEGORIES
Contest Directors makes every effort to group ages by Division.
These divisions are: Primary (0-8), Juvenile (9-12), Junior (13-16), Senior (17 -20), and Adult (21 and over.) In larger contests, they may be grouped in events by their individual age! This is not always possible, however, so twirlers are often grouped in age categories that are convenient and profitable for the contest promoter. There have to be enough twirlers in each category to pay for the trophy! Sometimes this does not seem fair, but eventually your child will have her/his good day too! The only exception to this is Advanced Solo and Advanced Strut. They are usually grouped by the divisions above.
PHMC EVENTS
The PHMC Solo and PHMC Strut events are held at every regular contest and the PHMC. Anyone may enter these advanced events at the regular and Patsy Hamilton Contests. These events are always divided into these divisions: Primary(0-8), Juvenile(9-12), Junior(13-16), and Senior(17 and over.) The winner of each age division is awarded a medal and the opportunity to compete in the Twirloffs at the Patsy Hamilton Memorial Contest which takes place in late April or early May.
You may enter the PHMC Strut and PHMC Solo events after you win the medal for the year, but you may only win the medal once. If the top scoring athlete has already won this year, the twirler with the next highest score in that age category wins the medal.
COMPULSORIES
These are sets of baton and dance moves that twirlers are graded by judges. You must pass the first to progress to the second, etc. The levels are: C, B, B1, B2, A, AA, AAA, and Elite. You must pass Elite Level to try out for World. Compulsories were created for the purpose of providing judges with an objective way of evaluating twirlers for possible Olympic use.
AWARDS
TEAMS
The team is awarded a trophy for first place. The Director keeps these.
FOUNDATION EVENTS
Basic Strut and Military
In the Foundation events, the awards are presented immediately following the event. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOUR TWIRLER STAY THERE UNTIL ALL OF THE AWARDS HAVE BEEN PRESENTED. IT LOOKS NICER AND THAT WAY THEY CAN CONGRATULATE THE WINNER! Remember to have them salute if their name is called. Don’t be surprised if there are tears the first few times. Part of the experience of winning is learning how to lose. It gets a little easier as time goes on.
Presentation
The first place winner of both beginning and advanced receives a special prize (usually a teddy bear or a fancy craft item) and a ribbon banner. This is a very exciting event to win.
INDIVIDUAL SOLO AND PAIR EVENTS
As soon as all of the twirlers in your age division have finished twirling, the scores are taken to the judges table. There they are tabulated. The scores are then posted on the wall and taken to the trophy table so that the twirlers can claim their prizes. It takes about fifteen minutes from the time the last twirler in a category performs before the results are sent to the trophy table. There is a trophy given for 1st place in every event except First Contest Beginner. It depends on the event what the next four places receive (medal or ribbon). Second place winners in the advanced events also receive a trophy. The top five receive a prize for every event.
FIRST CONTEST BEGINNER
You can only enter this solo event once in your life. Your twirler enters this the first time she/he performs her/his solo at a contest. The top prize is usually a small trophy.
HI-POINT BEGINNER
A banner is presented to the twirler who accumulates the most placement points in the following events: Novice Basic, Novice Military, Novice Presentation, Novice Solo, Beg. Basic, Beg. Military, and Beg. Presentation. This award is usually given after all of the Foundation Events have been performed. This is a relatively new award and has not yet been adopted by all contest promoters.
KEEPING SCORE
This can be done for Individual Events. After each child has twirled, the judge will complete the critique sheet. The judge will look up, the child will salute, and then the judge will hand them their score sheet. Make sure your child salutes and remembers to pick up the score sheet. Encourage your child to say “thank you” to the judge at this time too!The judge will then flash the score so that you can write down your child’s score and his/her competitors’ scores. After everyone in the category has twirled, you can calculate the winners. Your coach will want to look at these scores and the critique sheet at your next private lesson. FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO KEEP SCORE, IT IS VERY DISAPPOINTING TO MISS A SCORE. YOU MAY WANT TO AVOID DISTURBING OTHER PARENTS WHEN THEIR CHILD IS TWIRLING OR THEY ARE TRYING TO GET SCORES. The scores are eventually posted on the wall after they are tabulated.
SIGNING UP FOR A CONTEST?
The Director has the contest schedule and the entry forms for the contests. They are mailed to all current USTA members at the beginning of the year and are available on the CA Baton Council web site to download and/or print. The Director will take care of the Team Entry, but it is usually your responsibility to enter your child in the individual events.The entry deadline is on the contest schedule and is usually three weeks before the contest. If you miss the first deadline, you can still enter by the “late-fee” deadline if you pay the late fee of $10 or more. This late fee is strictly enforced because contest directors must compile their contest program as early as possible. This enables them to know how many judges to hire and how many trophies to order.
DESCRIPTION OF FOUNDATION EVENTS
FOUNDATION EVENTS:
- Basic Strut (Marching in a Square) – Thirty-two counts of marching in a square.
- Military Strut (Military march in L-shape) – This march is more difficult than Basic. (I urge parents to give this one a try before they become too critical!)
- Presentation (a 32-count solo) – The emphasis here is on technique.
Note – It is a good idea to enter your child for more than one level. You can enter all levels until you have earned the designated number of trophies. You never know when the age grouping will be to their advantage.
DESCRIPTION OF EVENT LEVELS
FOUNDATION EVENT LEVELS
- Novice: Has never won 1st place at any level in the event.
- Beginning: Has won 1st place fewer than 5 times at any level in the event.
- Intermediate: Has won first place fewer than 10 times at any level in the event.
- Advanced: Open to all.
SOLO EVENT LEVELS
- First Contest Beginner – (1-1/2 minute solo) can enter only once in life, the first time the child twirls a solo in a contest.
- Novice – (1-1/2 minute solo) Until one trophy has been earned in any solo level except 1st Contest Beginner.
- Beginner – (1-1/2 minute solo) Until five trophies have been earned in any solo level except 1st Contest Beginner.
- Intermediate – (1-1/2 minute solo) Until ten trophies have been earned in any solo level except 1st Contest Beginner.
- Hi-Intermediate – (1-1/2 minute solo) Until twelve trophies have been earned in any solo level except 1st Contest Beginner.
- Advanced – (2 minute solo) No limit on trophies. This solo is 30 seconds longer than the other solo levels.
- PHMC Solo – (2 minute solo) Can only win once a year. May enter as many times as you wish. The contestant with the highest score in their age division and has not yet won the event this year wins the medal. The medal winners from all of the contests compete in a twirloff at the Patsy Hamilton Memorial Contest in the Spring.
Note – It is a good idea to sign your twirler up for TWO OR THREE levels at each contest in Solo. This gives them several chances for the age cutoffs to work in their favor, a judge to critique them, and to get their solo right. You cannot win every time. Also, keep in mind that “Advanced Solo” is 1/2 minute longer and uses different music. Also remember…we are doing this for the fun and the experience! Please check with your coach. She will help you register your child in the correct events.
STRUT LEVELS
- Beginner – Until five trophies have been earned in the event at any level.
- Intermediate – Until ten trophies have been earned in that event at any level.
- Advanced – No limit on trophies.
- PHMC Strut – Can only win once a year. May enter as many times as you wish. The contestant with the highest score in their age division and has not yet won the event this year wins the medal. The medal winners from all of the contests compete in a twirloff at the Patsy Hamilton Memorial Contest in the Spring.
2- BATON, 3-BATON, PAIRS, DANCE TWIRL and DANCE TWIRL PAIRS LEVELS:
- Beginner – Until five trophies have been earned in the event at any level.
- Intermediate – Until ten trophies have been earned in that event at any level.
- Advanced – No limit on trophies.
RIFLE and FLAG LEVELS
One Level Only – No limit on trophies.
”FAIR WINS” – There must be two twirlers in a category for a trophy to be counted as a “fair win.” Only “Fair Wins” are included when counting trophies and determining which category your child twirls in.
WINS AT THE CONTESTS OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ALL COUNT.
THIS ALSO APPLIES TO TEAMS.
OTHER ARTICLES PARENTS MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:
Should Your Child or Team Be Twirling in the Beginning Division?