Please click  for Global Alliance Rules 2011

Please click  for NBTA England Rules 2011

NATIONAL BATON TWIRLING ASSOCIATION (ENGLAN

From NBTA Committee

NEWS DIRECT – Jan ‘12

Remember to check out NBTA (UK) website at: www.nbta.org.uk

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Membership 2012:

Membership fee was reduced to £25 four years ago, but has unfortunately had to go back up to £30 for 2012, due to increased costs.  This means it’s the same price now as it was five years ago - so not bad really!

Please ensure anyone entering Littledown competition, or in England team, has submitted their membership application and paid.

Sue Dewey is taking over from Chris Wells as NBTA Membership secretary.  Her contact details are on website, as follows: 60A Fairfield Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 8NT.  Tel: 01444 253429 / E-mail: suedewey@btinternet.com

If anyone knows of any person / group interested in joining NBTA, please let Sue know a.s.a.p.

Rule Changes:

Following will apply for 2012.

• Gymnastics/Acrobatics – in order to line up with Global Alliance rules and to clarify exactly what moves are not allowed, Rule 1.6 will change to read as follows:
• Gymnastics /Acrobatics (cartwheel, walkover, somersault, body aerial and butterfly) during any routine are not permitted.  Mounts and body tosses are not allowed.  Mount is defined as any body toss or form that is two stories or more.  A story (as in 10-story building) is defined as a person's height. 1/2 story is defined as a person kneeling/sitting or lunging.  Stacking one person on top of another to achieve a pyramid shape or similar form is not permitted.
• Dance Formation Team – following wording to be added to existing rules; “Each compulsory dance element must be completed by all team members simultaneously”.
• Military Strut - reminder that military style hats must be worn.  Wording of costume requirements to be amended, as follows: “skullcaps, fascinators and headbands are not considered to be military style hats and should therefore not be worn”.
• Advancements – any competitor / team wishing to voluntary advance a section will need to be assessed by judge at a regional competition, before move can take effect, to ensure competitor has the ability to compete at the higher level.
• End of year advancements – rule amended to clarify that all finalists in classes with first round ratings will advance the following year (with usual exceptions re: age)
• Updated rule book (2012) will be available for download from NBTA website shortly.

Competitions 2012:

• Due to the current economic situation, every effort has been made to avoid increasing fees, so the only change in fees for 2012 is for teams & corps.  Rather than a set fee, entry will now be £4 per person for team members of Dance, Twirl, Pompon and Dance Formation, and £3 per person for members of Twirling, Pompon and Military Formation corps.
• New excel spreadsheet has been devised to help with Competition entries.  Instructions are on first tab, followed on second tab by copy of Schedule of Events.  Third and fourth tabs are Individual/Duet and Team/Corps entry forms and last tab is Payment form.  Payment form gets automatically populated by information input on two entry forms, then fees will get added up and total calculated.
• In order to save some costs throughout the year and avoid increasing entry fees, it has been decided to give 1^st place trophies only at Regionals.  Number of places at regionals depends on number of contestants taking the floor, so if 2^nd and 3^rd places are awarded they will get medals, and 4^th – 6^th places will get certificates.
• Another way of saving money for the association is for corps to submit one cheque for membership, competition entry fees or England team trips.  NBTA gets charged for every cheque banked, so reducing the number of these will save quite a few pounds throughout the year.
• NBTA gets charged every time cheques bounce, which is why we pass this charge on.  Please try to avoid this happening, as it obviously costs more. If it does happen, re-submitted cheques should be sent direct to David Creeden (NBTA Treasurer) at 4 Eynham Close, Bitterne, Southampton SO19 5JZ, along with additional £25.
• Although most supporters are honest and pay for their entry into competitions, there are always one or two who try to get in without paying.  This is obviously unfair on all those who have paid, as the door money collected is what goes towards paying for the hire of the leisure centres.  We do therefore ask that everyone wears their armband on their wrists throughout the day (or weekend), so when any spot checks are carried out, we can easily identify those people who have not paid to come in.  Anyone not wearing an entry band will be asked to either pay the entry fee, or to leave the hall.  Your support in this matter would be appreciated.
• Charge for temporary passes is £2.
• Please ensure that all competitors wear suitable underwear under their costumes, as there have been several comments passed to committee recently regarding this matter.

Competition Dates 2012:

Booking dates for 2012 domestic competitions has been particularly challenging, due to lack of availability of leisure centres on Saturdays (regular activity bookings).  Majority are one-day competitions, and dates are as follows, although Loughborough is yet to be confirmed.  It was hoped to run an Open competition at some stage during the summer, but due to difficulties getting suitable centres for domestic competitions, this may now have to be sometime during March / April.  Corps directors will be e-mailed with final competition details as soon as possible.

• Sat 4^th / Sun 5^th Feb Littledown / Closing date: 9^th January
• Sat 12^th May  Medway / Closing date: 7^th April
• Sat ? June  Loughborough (to be confirmed next week) / Closing date: t.b.c
• Sat 7^th July  Stevenage / Closing date: 2^nd June.
• Sat 1^st Sept  Taunton / Closing date: 28^th July
• w/c 29^th October  Selections & Nationals / Closing date: 8^th September

• New competition entry forms attached, which will also be available on NBTA website. 

Please remember that late competition entries are likely to be refused.

England Team

Next England training day is on Sunday, 15^th January at Alton Sports Centre, Chawton Park Road, Alton GU34 1^ST, from 10:00 – 16:00.  All team members to attend, including teams and corps.

Passport Days

Following feedback from membership, passport content is being looked at by Technical Board and will be discussed by all judges at their revision day; however provisional dates for Passport Days have been set as follows (locations and times tbc):

21^st April Basingstoke

19^th May Essex

20^th May Taunton

22^nd July Basingstoke

World Championships 2012:

Trip to Switzerland is now planned.  Team and supporters will travel by coach, leaving Monday evening, 2^nd April and will travel through the night, arriving at Holiday Inn, Westside on Tuesday afternoon.  There are few places on coach still available, if anyone wishes to come along.  Please contact Denise a.s.a.p. if interested.  Cost for supporters is £700 (twin room) £750 (single room) / competitors £750

Teacher / Judges: 

Judges revision day - will be held on Saturday, 21^st January 2012, at Eversley Community College, Basingstoke RG24 9UP.  Cost £7 per person, for those who did not attend in September / Time: 11:00 – 17:00

Judges / Teachers Course 2013 - following feedback regarding the course, intention is to have first three sessions combined, but remainder split into separate teachers and judges courses, as it is recognised that several people would either like to teach or judge, but not necessarily do both.  Obviously some content will apply to both teaching and judging, therefore everyone would initially be together.

Dance Solo:

Set pieces of music are required for 2013.  Anyone with any music they think would be suitable, please submit to any member of the technical board for consideration before end of May.

Happy New Year to you all, from members of NBTA Committee

and Technical Board

Regards 

Denise