Vista Ridge Marching Festival - 2013
Final Instructions
1. All needed documents should be found on the Vista Ridge Marching Festival website: http://www.vrhsband.org/marchingfestival.html under the “Director Information” heading.
2. MAPS: The enclosed maps and directions indicate (1) general directions to the Vista Ridge High School and Gupton Stadium area (2) a stadium site lay-out. Note the bus/truck entrance, band check-in, warm-up areas, and bus and spectator parking areas. Please inform your bus drivers of these, as this will be the only participant entrance to the stadium.
3. ARRIVAL: Upon your arrival our parking staff will direct your buses to the bus parking area. Another parking staff member will direct your truck/trailer to the truck parking area. At your earliest convenience, please come to the Host Table to check in. At the Host Table, you will:
- receive your allotted PASSES for directors, drivers and chaperones
- meet your ESCORT who will be with you throughout warm-up and performance
- submit any program changes you may have
- turn in announcer’s script if not already sent in, and
- ask any questions you may have.
4. PARKING: A crew will assist your bus drivers. Follow signs and unload all equipment at the designated point. Please have your bus drivers lock your buses, or otherwise have band members secure all equipment and personal items as NEITHER LISD NOR VISTA RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSSES. We expect to have plenty of free spectator parking available. However, as it gets later in the day, parking may become more limited. We have two overflow parking areas for spectators. Parking on any of the streets surrounding the stadium is not allowed and may result in a parking ticket or tow. Please advise your parents to allow for some walking time prior to your band’s performance, as the only spectator entrance will be on the Northwest corner of the stadium. Please READ the attached Parking document.
5. STORAGE: Please arrange to store cases and all equipment, during performance and afterward, on or up against your equipment truck/trailer. Space will be limited.
6. UNIFORMS: Our dressing facilities are very limited. Please have your students wear uniforms or change on the buses.
7. Restrooms will be available to students near the visitor’s side concession stands. In case of emergency, we will also provide access to restrooms at Vista Ridge High School, not far from the Band Warm Up areas.
8. WARM-UP for bands will be on the east side of Vista Ridge High School. An escort and traffic monitors will help your band will cross Vista Ridge Blvd and you will then proceed through the courtyard to the other side of Vista Ridge. To keep the festival on schedule, please be prompt in entering and exiting your assigned warm-up area. The band following will appreciate you! All bands will have 30 minutes warm-up time and will perform at 15 minute intervals, NO PLAYING OF INSTRUMENTS IS ALLOWED EXCEPT IN THE WARM-UP AREA AND ON THE FIELD. Bands in Warm Up A will face south (toward RRISD Athletic Complex). Bands in Warm Up B will face east, away from the school and toward the wooded neighborhood. Guards may warm up near the assigned band warm-up. The use of wireless transmitters (metronomes or PA’s) in the warm-up areas is strictly prohibited. Any amplified metronome must be hard-wired and must be behind the band (school side) and facing south or east (away from Gupton Stadium). In order to insure that the integrity of all performances is our first priority, we reserve the right to ask any and all bands to turn down or turn off your amplified metronome if we find that it is heard in the stadium.
9. ENTRANCE/EXIT: All bands (winds and batteries) will enter the stadium through the southeast gates (visitor side) and down the ramp. All Bands, including the Front Ensembles (“Pit”), will exit the stadium through the center tunnel between the field houses as indicated on the map. PIT EQUIPMENT WILL ENTER THROUGH THE SOUTHWEST GATE. Please refer to the Front Ensemble Instructions (separate page) and give that to your Percussion Director/Tech and/or Parent Roadie. Cups of water will be waiting for your group at the top of the ramp, as you exit to your left, toward your buses. EMS and First Aide tent will be to the right, after you exit the ramp.
10. JUDGING – The Effect, Music and Percussion Judges will be in the film booth/balcony, in the press box. The Visual and Auxiliary judges will be in the press box in glass incased booths. Current UIL rules and procedures will be observed. The judges will also record comments on digital voice recorders. You will receive a thumb drive with all comments for your band. All judges will be giving a numerical score. Rankings within classifications will be announced at the conclusion of each CLASS during the awards ceremony. Actual scores will only be announced during the Finals Award Ceremony. Sheets and thumb drives will be available in the press box immediately following the awards ceremony for your band’s competing class.
11. TIMING - The Vista Ridge Marching Festival follows standard UIL competition timing guidelines. The scoreboard clock will be the official time. In the event that a band does not adhere to UIL timing rules, a warning will be issued.
12. AWARDS – During PRELIMS, First, Second, and Third Place trophies will be awarded in each classification. In addition, there will be class awards for each caption: Music, Visual, General Effect, Percussion, and Auxiliary. The awards ceremonies will be held on the field in front of the west stands at the end of each Class Competition (see schedule for exact times). Please have all Drum Majors and Guard/Dance Captains in full uniform and ready to take the field as soon as the last band prior to the ceremony clears. All trophies will be presented to the Drum Majors at this time. FINALS trophies will be awarded to each participating band during the Drum Major retreat at the end of Finals competition.
13. NOTE: ONLY DRUM MAJORS & GUARD/DANCE CAPTAINS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE RETREAT. NO OTHER STUDENTS WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE FIELD DURING THE AWARDS CEREMONIES.
14. PACKETS - All packets containing judges’ comments comment sheets, their recorded comments on a thumb drive, a high-camera DVD of your band, participation plaques and other festival materials can be picked up in the south end of the press box immediately following the awards ceremony. NO RESULTS OR INFORMATION CONCERNING SCORES OR AWARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL THAT TIME.
15. FILMING – The Professional Videographer with whom we had contracted to video our festival, has recently declined to provide his services due to the lower number of bands registered. However, we will be providing an HD, High-Cam video recording of your band’s performances, recorded from the film booth. This recording will probably be downloaded to the same thumb drive that will contain your judge’s comments. Since we will not have a “professional” videographer, your parents are welcome to video from the stands.
16. FIRST AID - A first aid station will be located just outside the southeast corner of the stadium in the school building. An EMS unit will be onsite for your convenience. Please walk to First Aid. If the student is unable to walk, please ask a contest worker to contact the ambulance or you can call 911.
17. NOTE: TO AVOID DELAYS, PLEASE BRING MEDICAL RELEASE FORMS WITH YOU.
18. ADMISSION - Admission for spectators is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for seniors (golden-agers) and students with a valid school ID (high school or younger). No ice chests may be brought into the stadium. Please inform your fans of this in advance.
19. PASSES –Passes will be distributed when you check in at ‘HOST”. These include one pass for each bus driver, one chaperon pass for every twelve students and special complimentary passes for your directors. No other passes are available. CHAPERONS AND PARTICIPATING STUDENTS MAY SIT ONLY IN THE EAST STANDS WITHOUT PAYING ADMISSION. Their uniform, band shirt, and/or chaperon pass is their ticket into this visitor’s seating area. If your students choose to sit in the west stands (Home) they must pay $5.00.
20. Souvenirs - NEW 2013 Vista Ridge Marching Festival T-shirts will be available at the festival, on both the home and visitors sides of the stadium, for $15.00.
21. RESTROOMS - Restrooms are located on both sides of the stadium. However, students must pay to enter the west (home) side of the stadium.
22. CONCESSIONS - There are not many restaurants located near Vista Ridge High School. We will provide an ample number of concession stands that will offer a variety of items for sale.
23. JUDGES - We are fortunate to have a highly qualified judging panel from a variety of backgrounds and areas. The judges for the 2013 Vista Ridge Marching Festival are: Brett Johnson, Mark Waymire, Philip Clements, Grady Robertson (guard) and Brian Lowe (percussion).
24. HOSPITALITY: There will be an open area on the south side of the press box where we invite you to enjoy some snacks and cold drinks, whenever you get a few minutes to get away from your students.
25. FINALS - The finals competition will begin promptly at 7:00 PM. Immediately following the announcement of the finalists, there will be a directors meeting to draw for performance times in finals. Please use the elevator or come up the stands to the south side of the Press Box. We will meet just inside the south door of the Press Box. (One director per band, please.) Finalist bands will be separated into top five and bottom five groups. The draw will occur within those groupings to determine performance order.
26. FINALS AWARDS - All finalists’ scores will be announced during the finals awards ceremony. Trophies will be awarded to those bands that place in the Finals.