New Slam Rules
Released the new slam rules for the upcoming season(s) this week. In Columbus, iWPS season runs from September through December, while NPS season runs from January through June. I hadn't changed the rules in some time (some of the process maybe, but not the rules), so I was a little apprehensive about doing it. I stuck to my guns because I really believe in the two new rules and they already seem to have energized some of the regulars, which is great.
Columbus doesn't have a LOT of slammers. We have a steady core group of about 6 cats from year to year and then newer people get their whistles wet as the season progresses. The team usually ends up with members from the core group though, most years exclusively.
After seeing how great this NPS was, my only major regret was that there were no new poets - poets who'd not been to NPS before, let alone multiple times - sharing in the greatness of it. It really was a good week and sending home the reports to the Columbus listserve as the week progressed just seemed a little tough for me. I wanted to tell them so much, but you really needed to be there to get the whole vibe, and a lot of poets feel as if they'll NEVER be there on the team's horse, so to speak.
So I'd been thinking on the two new rules for a long time, and discussed them with some people to get their take on how it might play out locally. I got good feedback and really took a hard look at our mission as a night, and said, "Here we go".
The two new rules (which aren't new in a number of scenes, but it's a big deal here):
1) One Year Off Rule
I call this one the Kalamazoo Rule since it's the first place I'd heard do it this way years ago, (though I think their rule is still slightly different). Basically if you make the Columbus team, you have to take the next year off. You can slam in your "off" season, but not for team contention.
This opens the field up to people who may not have felt like they had a chance before (whether I believe in them or not. Self-love starts at home).
2) No Repeat Rule
You can't repeat a poem during the season you're attempting to advance in until the grand slams.
This is to get some turn-over happening, and to give some poets who like the challenege of developing their sideboards not only a chance to do so, but the challenge of doing so.
Baby steps. We'll see how these work out and go from there.
If advance props are any indication, we're going to have a good time from the rooter to the tooter.
P.S.) Don't believe the critics: The Brothers Grimm is good. Not as slap-your-butt-against-the-wall great as his classic stuff, but still a good film.
Columbus doesn't have a LOT of slammers. We have a steady core group of about 6 cats from year to year and then newer people get their whistles wet as the season progresses. The team usually ends up with members from the core group though, most years exclusively.
After seeing how great this NPS was, my only major regret was that there were no new poets - poets who'd not been to NPS before, let alone multiple times - sharing in the greatness of it. It really was a good week and sending home the reports to the Columbus listserve as the week progressed just seemed a little tough for me. I wanted to tell them so much, but you really needed to be there to get the whole vibe, and a lot of poets feel as if they'll NEVER be there on the team's horse, so to speak.
So I'd been thinking on the two new rules for a long time, and discussed them with some people to get their take on how it might play out locally. I got good feedback and really took a hard look at our mission as a night, and said, "Here we go".
The two new rules (which aren't new in a number of scenes, but it's a big deal here):
1) One Year Off Rule
I call this one the Kalamazoo Rule since it's the first place I'd heard do it this way years ago, (though I think their rule is still slightly different). Basically if you make the Columbus team, you have to take the next year off. You can slam in your "off" season, but not for team contention.
This opens the field up to people who may not have felt like they had a chance before (whether I believe in them or not. Self-love starts at home).
2) No Repeat Rule
You can't repeat a poem during the season you're attempting to advance in until the grand slams.
This is to get some turn-over happening, and to give some poets who like the challenege of developing their sideboards not only a chance to do so, but the challenge of doing so.
Baby steps. We'll see how these work out and go from there.
If advance props are any indication, we're going to have a good time from the rooter to the tooter.
P.S.) Don't believe the critics: The Brothers Grimm is good. Not as slap-your-butt-against-the-wall great as his classic stuff, but still a good film.