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Penalties, delays cause problems at show choir competition opener
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · January 12, 2017
A timing penalty upset one of West Branch High School’s show choirs making the evening finals at Des Moines Christian’s season-opening competition, Illumination, on Saturday.
Director Chris Reed said the group had enough points to tie for fourth place, earning a place in the evening competition, but a timing penalty bumped them to seventh place, eliminating them from the second round.
Last season, CJU45 took First Runner-Up — second place — and Best Band.
Reed wrote in an e-mail to the Times that it “awesome” that CJU45 scored “some of the highest vocal scores” in West Branch’s history. However, the group was docked 30 points overall by exceeding the 25-minute time limit by 1 minute, 27 seconds.
Timing starts with set-up and ends with take-down, but Reed noted that the Master of Ceremonies made “numerous announcements” while introducing CJU45 — some of which include reading “shout-outs” submitted by family and fans. He said there were “some discrepancies” on timing, and he would prefer the clock stop for MC announcements.
“The kids were rather frustrated with the timing penalty, as was I,” Reed said. “However, I do believe this is a good lesson for students for many reasons.”
In one of those reasons, he said, he compared the timing penalty to the differences between a traditional grading system and the newer Standards-Based Grading.
“The purpose of Standards-Based Grading is to communicate clearly to students and families what the student has learned and what the student has yet to learn. If done correctly, it eliminates the toxic grading practices of the past and extra credit that has nothing to do with demonstrating knowledge,” he said. “If a student turns in his or her work late and excessive points are taken off due to the tardiness, we get a grade that does not reflect what the student really knows and/or can do.”
West Branch brought one of the three competing women’s show choirs and EnerJive had their own difficulties.
Reed said that, due to circumstances out of the group’s control, they arrived late at the Urbandale parochial school and only had 10 minutes to warm up, rather than the customary 25.
And in that warm-up, EnerJive had to “relearn the show in a new order and blocking on stage” because one of their songs did not get copyright approval in time.
Still, Reed said EnerJive “had a great first competition performance.”
“With all of that, I felt EnerJive performed remarkably well and leaps and bounds above where they were a year ago at this time,” he said.
He said he felt the same way for the co-ed squad.
“In the end, both groups performed very well!” Reed said. “CJU45 sang very well and had the vocal scores to prove that point, which should motivate them to work harder than ever over the next four weeks before West Liberty’s Stars on Stage Show Choir Competition.”
The show choir season continues Saturday with Saturday Night Jive, a competition hosted by West Branch. CJU45 will perform, but not for points.
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