TEAM SYCHRONIZED CREATIVE FORM COMPETITION
FOR ORLANDO FALL & LAS VEGAS SPRING NATIONALS
TOP 3 TEAMS FROM EACH EVENT / TOTAL OF 6 TEAMS / TO WIN OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE FOR TOP HONORS AT THE
OPENING CEREMONIES OF THE
2008 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Teams must consist of Black Belts with a minimum of 2 members and a maximum of 9 members being any age, male or female or any combination.
Competition in Las Vegas is limited to the first 30 teams; one team per school (school #). Registration will open Friday, November 30th at 10:00 a.m. Central Standard Time. Registrations will be accepted BY E-MAIL ONLY and must be sent to:
We will be using the date and time stamps of the e-mails to verify the order of registration. Registration fee must accompany registration (permission given to charge credit card associated with school # or phone call with credit card number made within 24 hours of registration or next business day. Please call Mrs. Mulford 501-568-2821 ext. 2259). Teams will be notified of acceptance by return e-mail (please make sure a valid e-mail address is included with registration). Each team must supply the ATA Tournament Department with a team name and number of members no later than Tuesday, February 1, 2008.
Registration fee for competition is $100.00 per team. There will not be a registration fee for the final competition at the 2008 World Championships.
The competition in Las Vegas will be (* NEW TIME) Friday evening, February 18th starting at 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The final competition during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 World Championships in Little Rock, AR will be Friday evening, June 27th (time to be announced).
This is a creative form competition. Forms used can be entirely unique from traditional Songahm forms or may be variants of traditional Songahm forms. Time requirements for the presentation is a maximum of 3 minutes with no minimum (although too short of a presentation may adversely affect the team’s scores). The Chief Judge will indicate when the official time will begin (which will be after the traditional bow in of each entire team). Time will be indicated to the judges by the time keeper. An automatic disqualification will result if the presentation exceeds the 3 minute maximum.
The use of music is optional. If music is used it must be supplied on CD or cassette tape by the performing team, at the appropriate time and properly cued. The audio devices used must be supplied by the competing team and they must have someone to operate the device. For the Orlando competition, no electrical outlets or electrical cords will be supplied or allowed. For the finals at the World Championships, the sound system of the Alltel Arena will be used.
The use of weapons is also optional. If weapons are used, the weapons themselves must follow the same rules as the Black Belt ATA-Xtreme competition.
Competitors may wear the ATA Traditional Dobok, the ATA- Xtreme Uniform, or the XMA Uniform. All members of a team must be wearing the same uniform. No mixing of uniforms within any team will be allowed.
The three top scoring teams from the Orlando Fall Nationals competition and the three top scoring teams from the Las Vegas Spring Nationals competition will secure the opportunity to compete for top honors at the 2008 World Championships the team that secures a spot at the Orlando Fall Nationals WILL NOT be eligible to compete again at the Las Vegas Spring Nationals. Any team that does NOT secure one of the top three spots in Orlando CAN compete again at the Las Vegas Spring Nationals (by registering and paying the entry fee). Winning teams may change the number of members on the team and/or actual team members in preparation for the 2008 World Championships competition. Winning teams are responsible for all of their own expenses incurred to participate at the 2008 World Championships including, but not limited to, airfare, lodging, meals, etc.
Judging Criteria:
Special emphasis in this division is placed on how the form is synchronized. Members should be doing the same moves at the same time or in domino fashion for at least 75% of the form time.
There will be 5 judges. Each of the judges will be judging the overall presentation based on the criteria listed below. None of the judges can have a team involved in the competition (cannot be the Instructor of the competitors or the owner of the school or club that the competitors train at or belong to).
Unlike traditional forms and weapons competition where competitors are scored in direct relation to each other, this team competition will have set criteria that the judges will be watching for (see below). The judges will award their scores based on the overall performance and how each of the criteria are performed. The teams with the highest total scores will be the winners. In the event of a tie, the team with the most members involved in the tie will win (more members are more difficult to synchronize). If the teams involved in the tie have the same number of members, the judges will vote for the outcome.
Scores will run from 9.0 to 9.9
The criteria that will be used to determine scores will be (in no particular order):
Degree of Difficulty:
Synchronized Movements by all Members:
Movements coincide with Music (if used):
Weapons Usage (if used):
Kicks (judged on proper foot position, height, focus, balance, power):
Hand Techniques (judged on proper hand position, speed, power, focus, tension):
Balance (during stances, landing from jump kicks, any gymnastic moves):
ATA Attitude, Confidence, Eye Contact, Intensity
At the Orlando event, a team trophy will be given to the top 3 teams.
Any questions can be directed to the ATA Tournament Department.