MEMORANDUM FOR: JROTC Drill Team Commanders and Faculty Advisors

SC-JROTC

SUBJECT: Smith-Cotton High School Tiger Invitational Drill Meet 2017 Letter of Instruction (LOI)

SC-JROTC 23 May 2016

MEMORANDUM FOR: JROTC Drill Team Commanders and Faculty Advisors

SUBJECT: Smith-Cotton High School Tiger Invitational Drill Meet 2017 Letter of Instruction (LOI)

1. Welcome to the 12th Tiger Drill Meet hosted by Smith-Cotton High School JROTC in Sedalia, Missouri on Saturday, 18 February 2017. Smith-Cotton has added a gymnasium to the school this year, so this drill meet is significantly different from previous events. Please review this LOI carefully. In particular, participants should review the required drill sequences (e.g., Regulation, Color Guard) closely and ensure team commanders understand any differences in these sequences and the ones they may have previously memorized. All drill will be conducted and evaluated IAW Army TC 3-21.5.

2. General Procedural Information

a. The 12th Annual Tiger Invitational Drill Meet will be held at Smith-Cotton High School. Each year many schools compete at the Smith-Cotton Drill Meet. We look forward to hosting as many schools as are interested in attending the event.

b. Upon arrival, schools will in-process and conduct final registration actions. You will have an opportunity to settle your account and receive an information packet. Individual Drill Down (IDD) tickets may be purchased at that time or at the entry of the competition floor. Breakfast tickets will also be available at registration.

c. The Drill Team Commander/Advisors’ Meeting will occur at 0730 in the Heckart Performing Arts Center on the north end of the building. The purpose of this meeting is to provide additional coordination and to make any necessary adjustments to the master floor schedule.

d. The first teams will compete starting at 0800. Teams should report to the entry control points for their competitions at least five minutes prior to the event in order to keep the drill meet moving.

3. Competition: Competition will be conducted in the following areas:

a.  Armed Regulation

b.  Unarmed Regulation

c.  Armed Exhibition

d.  Unarmed Exhibition

e.  Armed Color Guard

f.  Unarmed Color Guard (separate category to allow more teams to compete; they will still carry rifles)

g.  Armed/Unarmed Solo Exhibition (New for 2017)

h.  Armed/Unarmed Dual Exhibition (New for 2017)

i.  Armed/Unarmed IDD

j.  New Cadet Platoon (Unarmed Regulation) (All on one floor this year.)

4. Teams/Size/Time Requirements

a. The drill meet will include both armed and unarmed competitions.

b. Regulation Drill and Armed and Unarmed Color Guard have no minimum or maximum time requirements.

c. Exhibition Drill (with and without weapons) will have a minimum time requirement of 6 minutes and a maximum time limit of 9 minutes. Time will begin when the first cadet’s feet touch the floor to report in and will end when the last cadet’s feet leave the judging floor.

d. Solo and Dual Exhibition Drill (Armed and Unarmed) will have a minimum time requirement of 3 minutes and a maximum time limit of 5 minutes. Entries will be accepted until we fill all slots, therefore, please register as early as possible.

e. Judging for the Color Guard events will begin when the judge directs the team to start. Judging for all other events will begin when the commander reports in and will end when the commander reports out (or the sequence directs the team off the drill floor).

f. A 50-point deduction will be imposed for each team not meeting minimum size requirements. Team size requirements are as follows:

1)  Platoon Regulation (Armed and Unarmed): Minimum size is 10 members (9 plus commander); must have at least three squads.

2)  Exhibition (Armed and Unarmed): Minimum size is 9 members (8 plus commander).

3)  Color Guard (Armed and Unarmed): Team size is four members (all color guard teams will use rifles). If multiple teams compete, ALL MUST BE DIFFERENT CADETS.

4)  New Cadet Platoon Unarmed Regulation: Minimum size is 10 members (9 plus commander); must have at least three squads. Commander must also be a first-year drill team cadet or a first-year marcher (not necessarily their first year in JROTC).

g. Schools with two teams in any event cannot mix cadets between the two teams. The penalty will be disqualification of the second team to compete in that particular category.

h. Shoes with “clickers” on them will NOT be allowed in the competition. Penalty is disqualification of that team.

5. Event Locations: Refer to maps provided at the commander’s meeting.

6. Fees: Entrance fee is $25.00 per team per event (make all checks/purchase orders payable to Smith-Cotton JROTC). IDD is $.50 per individual per heat. IDD heats will run throughout the day and will conclude at approximately 1600. Solo and Dual exhibition (both Armed and Unarmed) will be $10.00 per entry. Breakfast tickets will be $5.00 each. In addition to other events occurring during the drill meet, we will offer 50/50 raffle tickets, a silent auction held throughout the day, and a “People Choice” award where fans may vote for their favorite team throughout the day; votes are $1.00 each. To vote place money (votes) in your school’s bucket located near the silent auction table. The team with the most “votes” will win a trophy at the awards ceremony.

7. General Information/Rules

a. Floor Size:

1)  Color Guard (Heckart Performing Arts Center): Floor size is approximately 37’ x 44’

2)  Regulation with Arms (New South Gym): Floor size is approximately 84’ x 50’

3)  Regulation without Arms (Main Gym): Floor size is approximately 100’ x 60’

4)  Exhibition with Arms (New South Gym): Floor size is approximately 84’ x 50’

5)  Exhibition without Arms (Main Gym): Floor size is approximately 100’ x 60’

6)  Unarmed New Cadet Regulation (Upper Gym): Floor size is approximately 75’ x 50’

7)  Armed and Unarmed Individual Drill Down (Cafeteria): Sufficient space is available

8)  Armed/Unarmed Solo/Dual Exhibition (Upper Gym): Floor size is approximately 75’ x 50’

b. Rules:

1)  No prompting of any sort will be allowed while a team is on the competition floor. Violations will result in disqualification.

2)  If a protest is made, only the Team Advisor or the Team Commander may make the protest. The protest must be filed with the head judge. The drill meet coordinator will exercise final jurisdiction over all proceedings.

3)  Advisors will maintain control of students not competing. Non-participants are welcome to view the competition. Drill floors are arranged in an open format. As a result, we request all individuals viewing the competing teams exercise good sportsmanship and keep conversations and noise at a minimum.

4)  To be qualified for the overall trophy (1st, 2nd, or 3rd), at least one team must compete in all of the following events: Armed Regulation, Armed Exhibition, Armed Color Guard, Unarmed Regulation, and Unarmed Exhibition (schools that have two or more teams competing in each category listed above are eligible to enter each of their teams into the overall trophy competition). Commanders of teams competing for overall trophies must identify their intent of competing for an overall trophy to their head judge and annotate such on the score sheet of each event in which they compete. The New Cadet Platoon Unarmed Regulation and Solo/Dual Exhibition scores will NOT be included in the overall trophy computation.

5)  When entering multiple teams in each event, e.g., Color Guard teams, all teams must consist of different cadets.

6)  US Army Drill Sergeants will serve as head judges in all events. The decision of the judges is final.

7)  Unsafe weapon throws, e.g., “blind throws” are unauthorized at the Smith-Cotton drill meet and will result in disqualification of the team for that event.

c. Scoring: We will follow the scoring format of the National High School Drill Team Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida. This method is known as a “proportional event scoring system.” The fundamental premise of the scoring system ensures that each event in the competition receives the same percentage of points available, and that each team receives the amount of points they deserve based on the quality of their performance in relation to the team that scored the most points in each event.

1) Overview- Each of the team events is worth exactly 1200 points (300 points per judge). The team receiving the most points for a particular event is the winner of that event. Regardless of how many combined points they received on their score sheets, for purposes of determining team placement, the first place team will receive 1200 points for the event. Every other team will receive a proportionate amount of points based on the percentage of points they finished behind the first place team.

2) Details- A sample scoring matrix may help illustrate how this method works:

Event Placement / Judge's Raw Points / Percentage of Winning Score / Points earned based on Proportional Scoring Method
1 / 1107 / 100% (1107 out of 1107 pts) / 1,200 pts (100% of 1,200 pts)
2 / 950 / 85.8% (950 out of 1107 pts) / 1,030 pts (85.8% of 1200 pts)
3 / 834 / 75.3% (834 out of 1107 pts) / 904 pts (75.3% of 1200 pts)
4 / 756 / 68.3% (756 out of 1107 pts) / 820 pts (68.3% of 1200 pts)
5 / 621 / 56.1% (621 out of 1107 pts) / 673 pts (56.1% of 1200 pts)

3) Tie Breakers- In the event of a tie, the following criteria will be used to determine a winner:

a)  First, the total of all applicable head judge’s points (raw points)

b)  Second, the fewest number of all applicable penalty points

c)  Third, the Armed Color Guard points (raw points)

d)  Fourth, the Unarmed Regulation points (raw points)

8. Rifles: With the exception of Color Guard rifles, ALL drill rifles must have padded butts to protect the floors. Additional rules regarding use of rifles during the competition follows:

a.  Bayonets are not authorized.

b.  Commanders of armed events (except Color Guard) must carry a weapon of their choice. The head judge will impose a 50-point deduction if any member of the team is unarmed.

c.  If using sabers, Appendix F to Army TC 3-21.5, Manual of Arms-Sword and Saber, will be enforced.

d.  All Color Guard rifles will have slings.

e.  Slings may be removed from rifles used for Armed Regulation and/or Exhibition, if desired.

f.  Facsimile rifles may be utilized. However, their use during an exhibition routine will be reflected in the degree of difficulty factored into the judges’ scores, resulting in a reduction of up to 20 points per judge (for a maximum total raw point deduction of 80 points).

g.  Each dropped rifle will result in a 25 point deduction. A dropped rifle is defined as any rifle that strikes the drill floor unless it is intentionally designed to do so.

9. Awards: The following awards will be presented at the drill meet:

a.  Armed Regulation: 1st through 5th place

b.  Unarmed Regulation: 1st through 5th place

c.  Armed Exhibition: 1st through 5th place

d.  Unarmed Exhibition: 1st through 5th place

e.  Armed Color Guard: 1st through 5th place

f.  Unarmed Color Guard: 1st through 5th place

g.  Unarmed IDD: 1st through 10th place medals

h.  Armed IDD: 1st through 10th place medals

i.  New Cadet Platoon (Unarmed Regulation): 1st through 5th place

j.  Solo/Dual Exhibition (Armed): 1st through 5th place

k.  Solo/Dual Exhibition (Unarmed): 1st through 5th place

l.  Overall Armed: 1st through 3rd place (highest proportional score in the following: Armed Color Guard, Armed Regulation, and Armed Exhibition)

m.  Overall Unarmed: 1st through 3rd place (highest proportional score in the following: Unarmed Color Guard, Unarmed Regulation, and Unarmed Exhibition)

n.  Overall Champion: 1st through 3rd place (highest proportional score in the following: Armed Regulation, Armed Exhibition, Armed Color Guard, Unarmed Regulation, and Unarmed Exhibition)

10. Meals: The Smith-Cotton JROTC Booster Club will host an all-you-can eat pancake and sausage breakfast for $5.00 per person. Please indicate on your sign-up sheet the number of individuals who will eat at the breakfast. In addition, we will also set up a concession stand during the competition. We will serve hamburgers, hotdogs, snacks, drinks, etc.

11. We hope you and your teams have a great experience. Best of luck to all teams! POC is CSM Randall Woods at 660-851-5317 or by email at .

//Original Signed//

HARRY L. CUNNINGHAM

LTC, US Army (Retired)

Senior Army Instructor

Reply and Entry Form

12th Annual Smith-Cotton JROTC Drill Meet, 18 February 2017

Return by 13 Jan 17 to: Smith-Cotton High School, ATTN: JROTC DEPT, Sedalia, MO 65301

Name of School: ______

Number of teams that you have competing in each category:

1. ______Armed Regulation

1. ______Unarmed Regulation

1. ______Armed Exhibition

1. ______Unarmed Exhibition

1. ______Armed Color Guard (if two teams, one should be Armed, the other should be Unarmed)

1. ______Unarmed Color Guard

1. ______New Cadet Platoon Unarmed Regulation

1. ______Armed Dual Exhibition

1. ______Unarmed Dual Exhibition

1. ______Armed Solo Exhibition

1. ______Unarmed Solo Exhibition

Team Advisor’s name and rank: ______

Address: ______

Office Number: ______Cell Phone Number: ______

E-Mail Address: ______

Number of team members attending: ______

Number of team members (including adults) for the $5.00 all-you-can eat pancake and sausage breakfast: ____

Entry fee is $25.00 per team per event. The IDD competition entry fee is $.50 per cadet per heat. Solo and Dual exhibition (both Armed and Unarmed) will be $5.00 per entry.

Make all checks/purchase orders payable to Smith-Cotton JROTC.