Victoria's new Individual Poetry Slam Champion, and our representative to the National Indie Slam in Vancouver in April is...
JEREMY LOVEDAY!
After 4 rounds of brilliant poetry from 7 of Victoria's finest spoken word artists in a standing-room-only room, it was Jeremy who came out on top.
And now the scores:
Round 1 - 1 Minute Poems
Steve Thompson - 17.8
Dave Morris - 24.6
Jeremy Loveday - 25.1
Megan Ann Ward - 23.9
Skawt Jones - 22.2
Jane Bee 22.0
Matthew Christopher Davidson - 22.3
Round 2 - 4 Minute Poems
Jeremy - 27.0
Dave - 25.2
Megan 24.4
Matthew - 24.9
Skawt - 22.9
Jane - 26.4
Steven - 24.7
Round 3 - 2 Minute Poems
Jeremy - 26.9
Dave - 23.1
Jane - 23.7
Megan - 25.0
Matthew - 25.2
Scott - 24.5
Steven - 22.7
Round 4 - 3 Minute Poems
Jeremy - 27.7
Megan -25.2
Dave - 26.0
Matthew - 25.5
Jane - 27.0
Skawt - 25.2
Steven - 25.5
Final Scores:
Jeremy Loveday - 106.7
Jane Bee - 99.1
Dave Morris - 98.9
Megan Ann Ward - 98.5
Matthew Christopher Davidson - 97.9
Skawt Chonzz - 94.8
Steven J. Thompson - 90.7
Thanks to everyone who came out and cheered, spit a poem, volunteered - you are all a ten.
See you in January for the start of the regular slam season!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Victoria Indies December 16
So, here's the deal: Vancouver is holding the Canadian Indie Slam as part of their Vancouver International Poetry Festival in April (http://vancouverpoetryhouse.com/vancouver-international-poetry-festival/) and Victoria is sending a representative.To decide who that representative will be we're holding a very special, pre-season, invitational Slam on December 16 at Cabin 12. And we're inviting all the team members of the 2009 and 2010 teams to compete for the title.
The Poets:
Skawt Jones
Megan Ann Ward
Dave Morris
Jeremy Loveday
Matthew Christopher Davidson
Jane Bee
Steven J. Thompson
Four Rounds of Madness
Just as at the national competition, we're going to be making our poets compete through not 1, not 2 but 4 rounds of madness with 1-2-3-4 minute poems. Every poet, every round. It's more poetry than you can shake a stick at.
So come on down and celebrate the close of 2010 and the start of Slam with this very special event. All proceeds from the show will go directly to the winner to fund their trip to the festival.
Now that's a good prize.
For more info, and to confirm you'll be there cheering in the front row visit our facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169699893059983&index=1
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
SpoCan Code of Honour
SpoCan has created a new Code of Honour that all poets at the national level are required to abide by.
We liked it so much that we're going to make it part of our Victoria Slam. Competing poets will have to sign that they agree to the following:
As a participant in Vic Slam, a SpoCan event, I understand and agree:
1. To revel in an environment in which freedom of speech, self-determination, and pursuit of creative excellence are inalienable rights.
2. To participate in a way that encourages, illuminates and supports established standards of good sportsmanship.
3. To refuse to allow the competitive challenge of the game to lead me to violence, interference, direct or indirect threats.
4. To allow all participants to pursue their craft peacefully and without censure, regardless of present associations or past personal history.
5. To comply with local, provincial and federal laws pertaining to individual civil rights and physical or sexual harassment.
6. To abide by all SpoCan rules, regulations, procedures and policies, including this Code of Honour, knowing that consequences for breaking the rules/code exist and will be upheld.
Of course, Rule Number One (http://vicpoetryslam.blogspot.com/2010/11/2011-slam-rules.html) will ALWAYS be adhered to. Free speech is an important part of the slam. We just want to encourage good sportsmanship as well.
If you have any questions or comments contact Vic Slam at vicpoetryslam@gmail.com
We liked it so much that we're going to make it part of our Victoria Slam. Competing poets will have to sign that they agree to the following:
As a participant in Vic Slam, a SpoCan event, I understand and agree:
1. To revel in an environment in which freedom of speech, self-determination, and pursuit of creative excellence are inalienable rights.
2. To participate in a way that encourages, illuminates and supports established standards of good sportsmanship.
3. To refuse to allow the competitive challenge of the game to lead me to violence, interference, direct or indirect threats.
4. To allow all participants to pursue their craft peacefully and without censure, regardless of present associations or past personal history.
5. To comply with local, provincial and federal laws pertaining to individual civil rights and physical or sexual harassment.
6. To abide by all SpoCan rules, regulations, procedures and policies, including this Code of Honour, knowing that consequences for breaking the rules/code exist and will be upheld.
Of course, Rule Number One (http://vicpoetryslam.blogspot.com/2010/11/2011-slam-rules.html) will ALWAYS be adhered to. Free speech is an important part of the slam. We just want to encourage good sportsmanship as well.
If you have any questions or comments contact Vic Slam at vicpoetryslam@gmail.com
Pre-Season Meeting Minutes
Ok- I know it sounds boring - but these are the decisions that will shape our community for the next year and make or break the poetic hearts of slammers in Victoria. So, it's important yo.
1) CFSW Update /SpoCan Board
Victoria Slam Team placed 12th (out of 18) at this year's Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.
The 2011 festival will be held in Toronto.
Victoria Broad Reps:
Megan Ann Ward - Tongues of Fire
Missie Peters - Victoria Slam
2) New Slam Master
Missie Peters was confirmed as Slam Master for 2010 by vote of present Tongues of Fire members.
Duties and Responsibilities for the Victoria Slam Master were also confirmed - see the post for full details: http://vicpoetryslam.blogspot.com/2010/11/slam-master-duties-and-responsbilities.html
Missie's stated goals as Slam Master for the 2011 season:
1) CFSW Update /SpoCan Board
Victoria Slam Team placed 12th (out of 18) at this year's Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.
The 2011 festival will be held in Toronto.
Victoria Broad Reps:
Megan Ann Ward - Tongues of Fire
Missie Peters - Victoria Slam
2) New Slam Master
Missie Peters was confirmed as Slam Master for 2010 by vote of present Tongues of Fire members.
Duties and Responsibilities for the Victoria Slam Master were also confirmed - see the post for full details: http://vicpoetryslam.blogspot.com/2010/11/slam-master-duties-and-responsbilities.html
Missie's stated goals as Slam Master for the 2011 season:
- Consistent and clear organization over the season
- Encouraging more/new slammers to participate
3) The Slams
Cabin 12 is our slam venue this year - thank you Cabin 12 (follow them on Twitter @Cabin12Victoria).
Tongues of Fire will be purchasing sound equipment for Vic Slam (Cabin 12 doesn't have any).
Finals Night has been booked at the Victoria Event Centre.
There will be 5 regular season slams - monthly Jan-May with Finals in June.
The slams will happen on the 3rd Thursday of every month.
A slam 'kit' has been created with all the neccessary equipment and paperwork to run the slam. This will hopefully make it easier to run a slam, and provide one place where all the scores and standings and records are kept in hardcopy.
We will only need 1-2 volunteers a night to run the door and help bout manage. Megan Ann Ward, Volunteer Coordinator for Tongues of Fire will ensure volunteers at the slams.
We have decided to offer cash prizes this year as a way to encourage new slammers. Cash prizes will be given to the top 3 poets.
Any earnings from the slam season will go to 1) supporting the slam team to go to Toronto for CFSW 2) ensuring enough funds to support the next slam season.
4) Promotions
Posters and flyers are being created for the entire season prior to January by a volunteer design student. The flyers will be used to distribute to schools, at other shows (like the Emcee Night at Vic High) and to friends.
We will create a Vic Slam Fan Page and Facebook Ads encouraging new slammers. We will try to drive traffic from the Vic Slam Team Pages to the new Vic Slam Page.
We will create special buttons for slammers only, to create a recognition program.
The Nexus has already agreed to do a feature on Vic Slam to help spread the word. We will try to sell the concept to the Martlet as well.
5) Code of Honour
SpoCan has instituted a Code of Honour this year and a discipline policy attached to it for both offending poets and slam scenes. Therefore, and in order to promote good sportsmanship Victoria Slam will require all competing poets to sign the Code at each slam. Check out the post on the Code: http://vicpoetryslam.blogspot.com/2010/11/spocan-code-of-honour.html.
6) The Rules
The rules have been updated and amended from last year, specifically to provide more clarity on how the slam team will be chosen. Updates include:
No repeats (Rule 7)
No team pieces (Rule 13)
Points for standings to determine finalists (Rule 14)
To see the full posting of the rules see this post: http://vicpoetryslam.blogspot.com/2010/11/2011-slam-rules.html
7) Vancouver Indies
Vancouver is holding an individual slam festival April 18-24. Each slam scene may send a representative, and chose that rep any way they want.
Victoria will be holding a by-invitation-only slam on December 16 at Cabin 12 to determine the Victoria Slam City Rep. More details on both the festival and the slam to follow soon.
If you have any questions about these minutes, the slam season, or slam in general, please contact us at vicpoetryslam@gmail.com.
2011 Slam Rules
These rules apply to the Victoria slam season specifically and to slam events generally. Discrepancies can be brought to the attention of the Slam Master for clarification.
1) Poems can be on any subject and in any style.
2 ) Each poet must perform original work that s/he has created.
3 ) No props. Prop: an object or article of clothing introduced into a performance with the effect of enhancing, illustrating, underscoring, or otherwise augmenting the words of the poem. Generally, poets are allowed to use their given environment and the accoutrements it offers - microphones, mic stands, the stage itself, chairs on stage, a table or bar top, the aisle, and audience members - as long as these accoutrements are available to other competitors as well. The rule concerning props is not intended to squelch the spontaneity, unpredictability, or on-the-fly choreography that people love about the slam; its intent is to keep the focus on the words rather than objects.
4 ) No musical instruments or pre-recorded music.
5 ) No costumes.
6 ) Sampling: It is acceptable for a poet to incorporate, imitate, or otherwise "signify" on the words, lyrics, or tune of someone else (commonly called "sampling" in his own work. If he is only riffing off another's words, he should expect only healthy controversy; if on the other hand, he is ripping off their words, he should expect scorn and ridicule.
7 ) Repeats: No repeats of poems during the regular slam season. No repeats is only within a season, poets may perform pieces they have competed with in past years. Poets may perform any of their original poems at Finals.
8) The Three-Minute Rule: No performance should last longer than three minutes. The time begins when the performance begins, which may well be before the first utterance is made. A poet is certainly allowed several full seconds to adjust the microphone and get settled & ready, but as soon as s/he makes a connection with the audience ("Hey look, she's been standing there for 10 seconds and hasn't even moved"), the timekeeper can start the clock. The poet does not have an unlimited amount of "mime time." Poets with ambiguous beginnings & endings to their performances should seek out the timekeeper at each venue to settle on a starting & ending time. After three minutes, there is a 10-second grace period (up to and including 3:10.00).
Starting at 3:10.01, a penalty is automatically deducted from each poet's overall score according to the following schedule:
3:10 and under no penalty
3:10.01 - 3:20 -0.5
3:20.01 - 3:30 -1.0
3:30.01 - 3:40 -1.5
3:40.01 - 3:50 -2.0
and so on [-0.5 for every 10 seconds over 3:10]
The announcement of the time penalty will be made by the emcee or scorekeeper after all the judges have reported their scores. The judges should not even be told that a poet went overtime until it is too late for them to adjust their scores.
Maximum Time Limit: After four minutes, only the emcee may stop a poet from continuing to perform.
9) Judging: All efforts shall be made to select five judges who will be fair. Once chosen, the judges will have a private, verbal crash course by the emcee or house manager on the do's and don'ts of poetry slam judging (where they can ask questions).
10) Scoring: The judges will give each poem a score from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest or "perfect" score. They will be encouraged to use one decimal place in order to preclude the likelihood of a tie. Each poem will get five scores. The high and the low scores will be dropped and the remaining three scores will be added together.
11) Emcees: The emcee will announce to the audience each poet's name. They will also require that all judges hold their scores up at the same time and that no judge changes his score after it is up. They are expected to move the show along quickly and keep the audience engaged and interested in the competition. Since they must be completely impartial, any witty banter directed at individual poets, poems, teams, or scores is inappropriate. Even genuine enthusiasm has to be carefully directed. The safest thing to do is encourage the audience to express their own opinions.
12) Sacrificial Poet: Because no poet wants to go first in the slam, and because some judges, score keepers and time keepers need practice, each slam begins with a "sacrificial poet" or calibration poet. This poet performs a piece and is scored as if they were competing in the slam.
13) Team Pieces: No team pieces are allowed at regular season slams or the Finals.
14) Qualifying for the Slam Team: The top 12 poets from the regular season shows (Jan-May) are invited to the Finals in June to compete to be on the Victoria Slam Team.
Poets in the second round are given the following points for their standings:
1st- 4 points
2nd- 2 points
3rd- 1 point
4th and 5th – 0.5 points each
Points are added together at the end of the season and the 12 poets with the highest scores are invited to Finals. If there are not enough poets with scores to fill the spots at Finals the remaining poets will be determined by averaged cumulative score.
Finals Night will feature 3 rounds of competition, with the 3rd round between the slam team members to determine the Victoria Slam Champion. The scoring is cumulative over all three rounds, and order in the first round is chosen at random.
First Round – 12 poets
Second Round – 8 poets (bottom 4 eliminated)
Third Round – 4 poets (5th is alternate)
1) Poems can be on any subject and in any style.
2 ) Each poet must perform original work that s/he has created.
3 ) No props. Prop: an object or article of clothing introduced into a performance with the effect of enhancing, illustrating, underscoring, or otherwise augmenting the words of the poem. Generally, poets are allowed to use their given environment and the accoutrements it offers - microphones, mic stands, the stage itself, chairs on stage, a table or bar top, the aisle, and audience members - as long as these accoutrements are available to other competitors as well. The rule concerning props is not intended to squelch the spontaneity, unpredictability, or on-the-fly choreography that people love about the slam; its intent is to keep the focus on the words rather than objects.
4 ) No musical instruments or pre-recorded music.
5 ) No costumes.
6 ) Sampling: It is acceptable for a poet to incorporate, imitate, or otherwise "signify" on the words, lyrics, or tune of someone else (commonly called "sampling" in his own work. If he is only riffing off another's words, he should expect only healthy controversy; if on the other hand, he is ripping off their words, he should expect scorn and ridicule.
7 ) Repeats: No repeats of poems during the regular slam season. No repeats is only within a season, poets may perform pieces they have competed with in past years. Poets may perform any of their original poems at Finals.
8) The Three-Minute Rule: No performance should last longer than three minutes. The time begins when the performance begins, which may well be before the first utterance is made. A poet is certainly allowed several full seconds to adjust the microphone and get settled & ready, but as soon as s/he makes a connection with the audience ("Hey look, she's been standing there for 10 seconds and hasn't even moved"), the timekeeper can start the clock. The poet does not have an unlimited amount of "mime time." Poets with ambiguous beginnings & endings to their performances should seek out the timekeeper at each venue to settle on a starting & ending time. After three minutes, there is a 10-second grace period (up to and including 3:10.00).
Starting at 3:10.01, a penalty is automatically deducted from each poet's overall score according to the following schedule:
3:10 and under no penalty
3:10.01 - 3:20 -0.5
3:20.01 - 3:30 -1.0
3:30.01 - 3:40 -1.5
3:40.01 - 3:50 -2.0
and so on [-0.5 for every 10 seconds over 3:10]
The announcement of the time penalty will be made by the emcee or scorekeeper after all the judges have reported their scores. The judges should not even be told that a poet went overtime until it is too late for them to adjust their scores.
Maximum Time Limit: After four minutes, only the emcee may stop a poet from continuing to perform.
9) Judging: All efforts shall be made to select five judges who will be fair. Once chosen, the judges will have a private, verbal crash course by the emcee or house manager on the do's and don'ts of poetry slam judging (where they can ask questions).
10) Scoring: The judges will give each poem a score from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest or "perfect" score. They will be encouraged to use one decimal place in order to preclude the likelihood of a tie. Each poem will get five scores. The high and the low scores will be dropped and the remaining three scores will be added together.
11) Emcees: The emcee will announce to the audience each poet's name. They will also require that all judges hold their scores up at the same time and that no judge changes his score after it is up. They are expected to move the show along quickly and keep the audience engaged and interested in the competition. Since they must be completely impartial, any witty banter directed at individual poets, poems, teams, or scores is inappropriate. Even genuine enthusiasm has to be carefully directed. The safest thing to do is encourage the audience to express their own opinions.
12) Sacrificial Poet: Because no poet wants to go first in the slam, and because some judges, score keepers and time keepers need practice, each slam begins with a "sacrificial poet" or calibration poet. This poet performs a piece and is scored as if they were competing in the slam.
13) Team Pieces: No team pieces are allowed at regular season slams or the Finals.
14) Qualifying for the Slam Team: The top 12 poets from the regular season shows (Jan-May) are invited to the Finals in June to compete to be on the Victoria Slam Team.
Poets in the second round are given the following points for their standings:
1st- 4 points
2nd- 2 points
3rd- 1 point
4th and 5th – 0.5 points each
Points are added together at the end of the season and the 12 poets with the highest scores are invited to Finals. If there are not enough poets with scores to fill the spots at Finals the remaining poets will be determined by averaged cumulative score.
Finals Night will feature 3 rounds of competition, with the 3rd round between the slam team members to determine the Victoria Slam Champion. The scoring is cumulative over all three rounds, and order in the first round is chosen at random.
First Round – 12 poets
Second Round – 8 poets (bottom 4 eliminated)
Third Round – 4 poets (5th is alternate)
Slam Master Duties and Responsbilities
Victoria Slam is a Tongues of Fire program, and receives its budget from the Tongues of Fire board.
To host or find a suitable host for each monthly slam. To ensure effective promotion Victoria Slam to audience and poets. To clearly communicate all the rules prior to the start of the slam season. To provide clarification and make decisions on the rules. To make scores and standings publicly available in a timely manner. To sit on the SpoCan board as a city slam rep if possible. To promote good sportsmanship within the slam community.
The Tongues of Fire board is responsible for appointing the Slam Master. The board has the ability to remove the Slam Master by vote for breach of below duties. The Victoria Slam Master is a volunteer position.
Vic Slam will support the Slam Master to attend the National Competition (CFSW) in their role as Slam Master and therefore they cannot compete to be on the slam team.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Pre-Season Meeting November 8
We're gearing up for the 2011 season, and if you'd like to get involved in helping organise then come to our pre-season meeting on November 8th, 7:00 at the Moka House in Cook St.
We'll be talking about goals for this season, venues, advertizing, season rules and the new Code of Honour from SpoKan, our special slam to chose a Vic Rep for the Van Indies and much much more.
And don't worry, if you can't make it, we'll be posting the minutes from the meeting right here.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Vic Slam Team takes 12th at CFSW 2010
Wow. We're home again after a whirlwind week at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word (CFSW) in Ottawa (www.cfsw.ca).
CFSW Expands
This was the first time in CFSW history that there have been 18 teams competing from all over the country, including new teams from Guelph, Edmonton, Burlington and Petersborough. That meant that there were two venues for Ottawa fans to choose from.
We counted that we've each seen roughly 200 poems this week. That's a lot of inspiration. My personal favourite was the Saskatoon Love Poem by Saskatoon's Slam Master Charles Hamilton.
Victoria Slam Team
Our team pulled first in the first bout Tuesday night - a tough spot. But they had the perfect poem - a team piece called, "We didn't come here to win" that woke everybody up and got a lot of laughs. Matthew Christopher Davidson also dropped a brand new poem, "Believer" about struggling with your faith that brought tears to my eyes. Although the team finished in 4th place (out of 4) that bout, they did very well.
Their second bout out Victoria brought it with well-polished and beautifully crafted poems, including two team pieces "a DJ saved my life" by Steve Thompson and "Soldier" by Matthew Christopher Davidson. The team cleaned up taking a 2nd and losing to the veteran team Up From the Roots who went on to be in the semis.
Victoria finished 12th out of 18 teams - another strong finish for Victoria.
Experience
My favourite moment was definitely the Geek Showcase where all participants shared their nerdiest poems and we all laughed so hard we cried. I think the best part of CFSW is not the competition it's the community.
Next year CFSW will be held in Toronto. Can't wait!
CFSW Expands
This was the first time in CFSW history that there have been 18 teams competing from all over the country, including new teams from Guelph, Edmonton, Burlington and Petersborough. That meant that there were two venues for Ottawa fans to choose from.
We counted that we've each seen roughly 200 poems this week. That's a lot of inspiration. My personal favourite was the Saskatoon Love Poem by Saskatoon's Slam Master Charles Hamilton.
Victoria Slam Team
Our team pulled first in the first bout Tuesday night - a tough spot. But they had the perfect poem - a team piece called, "We didn't come here to win" that woke everybody up and got a lot of laughs. Matthew Christopher Davidson also dropped a brand new poem, "Believer" about struggling with your faith that brought tears to my eyes. Although the team finished in 4th place (out of 4) that bout, they did very well.
Their second bout out Victoria brought it with well-polished and beautifully crafted poems, including two team pieces "a DJ saved my life" by Steve Thompson and "Soldier" by Matthew Christopher Davidson. The team cleaned up taking a 2nd and losing to the veteran team Up From the Roots who went on to be in the semis.
Victoria finished 12th out of 18 teams - another strong finish for Victoria.
Experience
My favourite moment was definitely the Geek Showcase where all participants shared their nerdiest poems and we all laughed so hard we cried. I think the best part of CFSW is not the competition it's the community.
Next year CFSW will be held in Toronto. Can't wait!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Poetry in the Raw IV
It's time again for our award-winning and provocative fundraiser Poetry in the Raw. 100% of the money raised goes directly to getting the Vic Slam Team to the Nationals in Ottawa.
And this year we're moving. Moving up with guest performances from Ingrid Hansen of SNAFU Dance, Rod Peter Jr of Atomic Vaudeville and Sasha Langford and Johnny McRae from the Vancouver Slam Team as well a whole host of local stars.
And of course our friends Solstice Cafe will be on hand with body-themed treats and coffee, and DJ Dodd will be spinning in his b-day suit. If there is one poetry event you go to all year... well, this had better be it.
Did we mention we'll be naked?
Get your tickets at Solstice Cafe $15 or $18 at the door. But hurry up, we sell out every year!
Vic Slam Team feature at Tongues of Fire
For all those of you who made it out to the Vic Slam Team's recording party - now's the time to get your copy of their live CD.
Plus, Tongues of Fire has promised to match the door money to help send the team to the Nationals in Ottawa - so bring your friends!
Tongues of Fire featuring...
The Victoria Slam Team
7:30pm Solstice Cafe
Thursday, September 23
$5 @ the door
For more info check out the Facebook event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129961727049894
Monday, August 23, 2010
Slam Team Recording Party
The Vic Slam Team held their recording party last week as their first official show as the 2010 team, and as their first fundraiser, frankly rocked the house.
Matthew started the night out with some of his serious side, the Steve dropped a brand-new piece, Megan brought back some old favorites, Dave got dirty and sinful and Jeremy brought it home Canada.
The night was packed with talent, and a special thanks goes out to Gumshoe and the Banshee for gracing us with their haunting music. And HUGE props to the Victoria Events Centre for their support in donating the space (they've been a huge supporter of spoken word in this town).
And thanks to everyone who came out to the show - you can pick up your free CD at the Vic Slam Team's next appearance at Tongues of Fire on September 23.
And don't forget about the fourth (and maybe final?) Poetry in the Raw on September 27. It's the Victoria Slam Team's big fundraiser and word is some Van Slam Team members might join in the fun...
Missie Peters
2011 Slam Master
Matthew started the night out with some of his serious side, the Steve dropped a brand-new piece, Megan brought back some old favorites, Dave got dirty and sinful and Jeremy brought it home Canada.
The night was packed with talent, and a special thanks goes out to Gumshoe and the Banshee for gracing us with their haunting music. And HUGE props to the Victoria Events Centre for their support in donating the space (they've been a huge supporter of spoken word in this town).
And thanks to everyone who came out to the show - you can pick up your free CD at the Vic Slam Team's next appearance at Tongues of Fire on September 23.
And don't forget about the fourth (and maybe final?) Poetry in the Raw on September 27. It's the Victoria Slam Team's big fundraiser and word is some Van Slam Team members might join in the fun...
Missie Peters
2011 Slam Master
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Introducing the 2010 Victoria Poetry Slam Team!
If you were there for Finals Night earlier this week, I don't have to tell you: the judges were stern, the atmosphere electric, the sweat copious and the poetry truly epic! And after two crushing rounds where it was, quite literally, anybodies game, four poets emerged triumphant to form the team that will represent our town at the National Slam this October in Ottawa! They are...
Dave Morris
Megan Ann Ward
Matthew Christopher Davidson
Jeremy Loveday and
Steven J Thompson (alternate)
Dave and Matthew were members of the 2009 team. Jeremy and Steven were on the 2008 team, but Jeremy had to drop out thanks to work commitments in Korea, so we are happy to see him on the team for another crack at the Nationals! And Megan! Megan was a tornado at Finals and a fresh new face for Victoria! She also ensures that the team is not a complete sausage festival. Thanks Megan!
Stay tuned to this space for more Vic Slam Team '10 news, upcoming shows and fundraisers, and watch the fazboog for the Team group/fan/like/whatever page... who knows what they're doing over there on the fazboog, anyway? Seems they can't make up their collective mind. Still! The '10 Team will be there. Join them!
Below please find complete scoring for all three rounds of the Finals, as compiled by official scorekeeper Sasha Prynn and timekeeper Cameron Lauder.
* * * * *
-- 10 poets competing, 3 lowest scoring competitors dropped from each round, cumulative scoring across three rounds, team decided from round two with third round "glory round" to decide champion...
Round One
Dave Morris -- 27
Megan Ann Ward -- 25.4
Steven J Thompson -- 25.4 with a time of 3m23s penalty = 24.4
Jennifer Jones -- 24.4
MCD -- 24.3
Jeremy Loveday -- 23.9
Kristy Westendorp -- 23.3
Jane Bee -- 23.1 /CUT/
Wes Lord -- 22.8 /CUT/
Derek Ford -- 21.7 /CUT/
Round Two
MCD -- 27.4 with a time of 3m18s penalty = 26.9
Jeremy Loveday -- 26.9
Dave Morris -- 26.3
Megan Ann Ward -- 26.8 with a time of 3m24s penalty = 25.3
Kristy Westendorp -- 25.5
Steven J Thompson -- 25.2
Jennifer Jones -- 25.0
Cumulative Scoring to decide 4 team members plus alternate as follows...
Dave Morris -- 27 + 26.3 = 53.3
MCD -- 24.3 + 26.9 = 51.2
Jeremy Loveday -- 23.9 + 26.9 = 50.8
Megan Ann Ward -- 25.4 + 25.3 = 50.7
Steven J Thompson -- 24.4 + 25.2 = 49.6 /alternate/
Jennifer Jones -- 24.4 + 25 = 49.4 /CUT/
Kristy Westendorp -- 23.3 + 25.5 = 48.8 /CUT/
Round Three -- Glory Round to decide Champion!
Jeremy Loveday -- 27.8 with a time of 3m54s penalty = 25.3
MCD -- 26.8 with a time of 3m32s penalty = 25.3
Megan Ann Ward -- 26.5
Dave Morris -- 26.2
Cumulative Scoring across all three rounds to decide Champion and ranking as follows...
Dave Morris -- 27 + 26.3 + 26.2 = 79.5 CHAMPION
Megan Ann Ward -- 25.4 + 25.3 + 26.5 = 77.2 SECOND
MCD -- 24.3 + 26.9 + 25.3 = 76.5 THIRD
Jeremy Loveday -- 23.9 + 26.9 + 25.3 = 76.1 FOURTH
Applaud the poets and their poetry, not the scores (which are, after all, arbitrary and somewhat random... yes, it's a flawed system, but like many flawed things in this world, it does carry within it a seed of beauty... *ahem*) ... Thanks to all the poets, the judges, the volunteers and of course, the audience! See you next season!
Dave Morris
Megan Ann Ward
Matthew Christopher Davidson
Jeremy Loveday and
Steven J Thompson (alternate)
Dave and Matthew were members of the 2009 team. Jeremy and Steven were on the 2008 team, but Jeremy had to drop out thanks to work commitments in Korea, so we are happy to see him on the team for another crack at the Nationals! And Megan! Megan was a tornado at Finals and a fresh new face for Victoria! She also ensures that the team is not a complete sausage festival. Thanks Megan!
Stay tuned to this space for more Vic Slam Team '10 news, upcoming shows and fundraisers, and watch the fazboog for the Team group/fan/like/whatever page... who knows what they're doing over there on the fazboog, anyway? Seems they can't make up their collective mind. Still! The '10 Team will be there. Join them!
Below please find complete scoring for all three rounds of the Finals, as compiled by official scorekeeper Sasha Prynn and timekeeper Cameron Lauder.
* * * * *
-- 10 poets competing, 3 lowest scoring competitors dropped from each round, cumulative scoring across three rounds, team decided from round two with third round "glory round" to decide champion...
Round One
Dave Morris -- 27
Megan Ann Ward -- 25.4
Steven J Thompson -- 25.4 with a time of 3m23s penalty = 24.4
Jennifer Jones -- 24.4
MCD -- 24.3
Jeremy Loveday -- 23.9
Kristy Westendorp -- 23.3
Jane Bee -- 23.1 /CUT/
Wes Lord -- 22.8 /CUT/
Derek Ford -- 21.7 /CUT/
Round Two
MCD -- 27.4 with a time of 3m18s penalty = 26.9
Jeremy Loveday -- 26.9
Dave Morris -- 26.3
Megan Ann Ward -- 26.8 with a time of 3m24s penalty = 25.3
Kristy Westendorp -- 25.5
Steven J Thompson -- 25.2
Jennifer Jones -- 25.0
Cumulative Scoring to decide 4 team members plus alternate as follows...
Dave Morris -- 27 + 26.3 = 53.3
MCD -- 24.3 + 26.9 = 51.2
Jeremy Loveday -- 23.9 + 26.9 = 50.8
Megan Ann Ward -- 25.4 + 25.3 = 50.7
Steven J Thompson -- 24.4 + 25.2 = 49.6 /alternate/
Jennifer Jones -- 24.4 + 25 = 49.4 /CUT/
Kristy Westendorp -- 23.3 + 25.5 = 48.8 /CUT/
Round Three -- Glory Round to decide Champion!
Jeremy Loveday -- 27.8 with a time of 3m54s penalty = 25.3
MCD -- 26.8 with a time of 3m32s penalty = 25.3
Megan Ann Ward -- 26.5
Dave Morris -- 26.2
Cumulative Scoring across all three rounds to decide Champion and ranking as follows...
Dave Morris -- 27 + 26.3 + 26.2 = 79.5 CHAMPION
Megan Ann Ward -- 25.4 + 25.3 + 26.5 = 77.2 SECOND
MCD -- 24.3 + 26.9 + 25.3 = 76.5 THIRD
Jeremy Loveday -- 23.9 + 26.9 + 25.3 = 76.1 FOURTH
Applaud the poets and their poetry, not the scores (which are, after all, arbitrary and somewhat random... yes, it's a flawed system, but like many flawed things in this world, it does carry within it a seed of beauty... *ahem*) ... Thanks to all the poets, the judges, the volunteers and of course, the audience! See you next season!
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Finals...
Hello! Well, it's all come down to this, folks. The finals. THE FINALS! The last slam of the season and the slam that decides the Victoria team for 2010, who will represent our town at the National Slam, held this year in Ottawa during the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in October.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
a) if a poet placed first or second during a second round at any slam, they qualified for finals...
b) due to a low turnout of poets during the first 3 months of the slam (Jan-March), it was decided that if a poet got into the second round at any slam, they also qualified for finals...
FINALS CONTESTANTS
In descending order, from highest scoring to lowest, the poets who qualified to compete in the finals are as follows:
Jeremy Loveday
Justin Illien
Dave Morris
Megan Ann Ward
Jen Jones
Jane Bee
Kristy Westendorp
Steven J Thompson
Matthew Christopher Davidson
Derek Ford
Brad B
Garth von Buchholz
Wes Lord
Contestants will be contacted and informed of the rules, as well as the responsibilities and requirements that membership on the Slam Team entails.
FINALS FORMAT
The finals decide the Victoria Slam Team for 2010. That's four poets, plus one alternate.
First Round
FINALS RULES
A competing poet may use all and any original work, including any piece(s) they have slammed with during the regular season.
That's it for now from all of us here at VicSlam Central! See you out on June 8 for one of the best nights of spoken word on the Island! 'S gonna be a heartbreaker!
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
a) if a poet placed first or second during a second round at any slam, they qualified for finals...
b) due to a low turnout of poets during the first 3 months of the slam (Jan-March), it was decided that if a poet got into the second round at any slam, they also qualified for finals...
FINALS CONTESTANTS
In descending order, from highest scoring to lowest, the poets who qualified to compete in the finals are as follows:
Jeremy Loveday
Justin Illien
Dave Morris
Megan Ann Ward
Jen Jones
Jane Bee
Kristy Westendorp
Steven J Thompson
Matthew Christopher Davidson
Derek Ford
Brad B
Garth von Buchholz
Wes Lord
Contestants will be contacted and informed of the rules, as well as the responsibilities and requirements that membership on the Slam Team entails.
FINALS FORMAT
The finals decide the Victoria Slam Team for 2010. That's four poets, plus one alternate.
First Round
12 poets - random order
Second Round
Second Round
Top 8 poets - random order
Third Round (bonus round to decide "champion")
Third Round (bonus round to decide "champion")
Top 4 poets - random order
The alternate will be the fifth ranked poet coming out of the second round.
The alternate will be the fifth ranked poet coming out of the second round.
FINALS RULES
A competing poet may use all and any original work, including any piece(s) they have slammed with during the regular season.
That's it for now from all of us here at VicSlam Central! See you out on June 8 for one of the best nights of spoken word on the Island! 'S gonna be a heartbreaker!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Slam Scores for May!
Well damn, son. Another 11 poets competed last night at VicSlam and with the randomly selected judges proving themselves both brutal and consistent, the competition was tight! The show was so exciting, in fact, that the host became moderately flustered; the feature Electric Jon was a pleasantly schizophrenic whirlwind of sound n fury; and the top performers walked away with outmoded entertainment media storage devices (movies on VHS tapes! Score!). Here are the top 5 poets who made it into the second round, in order of their awesomeness.
1st place: Jane Bee 54.9
2nd place: Jeremy Loveday 52.7
3rd place: Matthew Christopher Davidson 51.3
4th place: Dave Morris 48.2
5th place: Garth von Buchholz 48.0
Over the next few days, we will be crunching ALL the numbers from the season and compiling the list of performers for the Finals in June. Watch this space for that and other VicSlam related goodness!
1st place: Jane Bee 54.9
2nd place: Jeremy Loveday 52.7
3rd place: Matthew Christopher Davidson 51.3
4th place: Dave Morris 48.2
5th place: Garth von Buchholz 48.0
Over the next few days, we will be crunching ALL the numbers from the season and compiling the list of performers for the Finals in June. Watch this space for that and other VicSlam related goodness!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Slam Scores for the Season So Far!
Hello all. Skawt here, with the scores for the current season of Vic Slam! As you may know already, we are only one slam away from the Finals. Basically it's the May Edition and then in June, the Finals. That's it. Two more slams. Goes fast, don't it? So, in the interest of re-establishing some kinda current feel to the blog (we know it's been sketchy lately, update-wise and for that, our apologies) and to foster a degree of excitement in competitors and audience alike, here, quite literally, is the score(s)...
VIC SLAM
January Edition
Jeremy Loveday: 55.5
Jane Bee: 55.2
Dave Morris: 53.9
Justin Illien: 53.2
Jen Jones: 53.0
February Edition
Kristy Westendorp: 55.9
Steve Thompson: 52.6
Megan Ann Ward: 52.1
Brad B.: 48.7
Jen Jones: 46.9
March Edition
Dave Morris: 52.0
Jeremy Loveday: 50.6
Justin Illien: 50.6
Megan Ann Ward: 49.8
Jen Jones: 44.0
April Edition
Dave Morris: 53.4
Justin Illien: 50.8
Megan Ann Ward: 50.4
Derek Ford: 49.7
Wes Lord: 47.6
For the Finals in June, placement will be established in this manner: if during the regular season (January through May) you took either first or second place at any slam, you will be in the Finals. However, considering the relatively low turn-out of competing poets and the dominating juggernaut that is a few of those poets (looking in your direction Morris, Loveday, etc.), this will likely not give us the 12 competitors we need for Finals. So, to fill out the competition, we will then be ranking poets according to their accumulated scores over the season.
Questions, comments, concerns?
Feel free to hit us up wit dat via electronic mail!
tonguesoffire@shaw.ca
VIC SLAM
January Edition
Jeremy Loveday: 55.5
Jane Bee: 55.2
Dave Morris: 53.9
Justin Illien: 53.2
Jen Jones: 53.0
February Edition
Kristy Westendorp: 55.9
Steve Thompson: 52.6
Megan Ann Ward: 52.1
Brad B.: 48.7
Jen Jones: 46.9
March Edition
Dave Morris: 52.0
Jeremy Loveday: 50.6
Justin Illien: 50.6
Megan Ann Ward: 49.8
Jen Jones: 44.0
April Edition
Dave Morris: 53.4
Justin Illien: 50.8
Megan Ann Ward: 50.4
Derek Ford: 49.7
Wes Lord: 47.6
For the Finals in June, placement will be established in this manner: if during the regular season (January through May) you took either first or second place at any slam, you will be in the Finals. However, considering the relatively low turn-out of competing poets and the dominating juggernaut that is a few of those poets (looking in your direction Morris, Loveday, etc.), this will likely not give us the 12 competitors we need for Finals. So, to fill out the competition, we will then be ranking poets according to their accumulated scores over the season.
Questions, comments, concerns?
Feel free to hit us up wit dat via electronic mail!
tonguesoffire@shaw.ca
Monday, January 25, 2010
1 ) Poems can be on any subject and in any style.
2 ) Each poet must perform work that s/he has created.
3 ) No props. Prop: an object or article of clothing introduced into a performance with the effect of enhancing, illustrating, underscoring, or otherwise augmenting the words of the poem. Generally, poets are allowed to use their given environment and the accoutrements it offers - microphones, mic stands, the stage itself, chairs on stage, a table or bar top, the aisle - as long as these accoutrements are available to other competitors as well. The rule concerning props is not intended to squelch the spontaneity, unpredictability, or on-the-fly choreography that people love about the slam; its intent is to keep the focus on the words rather than objects.
4 ) No musical instruments or pre-recorded music.
5 ) No costumes.
6 ) Sampling: It is acceptable for a poet to incorporate, imitate, or otherwise "signify" on the words, lyrics, or tune of someone else (commonly called "sampling" in his own work. If he is only riffing off another's words, he should expect only healthy controversy; if on the other hand, he is ripping off their words, he should expect scornful contumely.
7 ) The Three-Minute Rule: No performance should last longer than three minutes. The time begins when the performance begins, which may well be before the first utterance is made. A poet is certainly allowed several full seconds to adjust the microphone and get settled & ready, but as soon as s/he makes a connection with the audience ("Hey look, she's been standing there for 10 seconds and hasn't even moved"), the timekeeper can start the clock. The poet does not have an unlimited amount of "mime time." Poets with ambiguous beginnings & endings to their performances should seek out the timekeeper at each venue to settle on a starting & ending time. After three minutes, there is a 10-second grace period (up to and including 3:10.00). Starting at 3:10.01, a penalty is automatically deducted from each poet's overall score according to the following schedule:
3:10 and under no penalty
3:10.01 - 3:20 -0.5
3:20.01 - 3:30 -1.0
3:30.01 - 3:40 -1.5
3:40.01 - 3:50 -2.0
and so on [-0.5 for every 10 seconds over 3:10]
The announcement of the time penalty will be made by the emcee or scorekeeper after all the judges have reported their scores. The judges should not even be told that a poet went overtime until it is too late for them to adjust their scores.
Maximum Time Limit: After four minutes, only the emcee may stop a poet from continuing to perform.
8 ) Judging: All efforts shall be made to select five judges who will be fair. Once chosen, the judges will have a private, verbal crash course by the emcee or house manager on the do's and don'ts of poetry slam judging (where they can ask questions).
9 ) Scoring: The judges will give each poem a score from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest or "perfect" score. They will be encouraged to use one decimal place in order to preclude the likelihood of a tie. Each poem will get five scores. The high and the low scores will be dropped and the remaining three scores will be added together.
10 ) Emcees: The emcee will announce to the audience each poet's name. She will also require that all judges hold their scores up at the same time and that no judge changes his score after it is up. She is expected to move the show along quickly and keep the audience engaged and interested in the competition. Since she must be completely impartial, any witty banter directed at individual poets, poems, teams, or scores is inappropriate. Even genuine enthusiasm has to be carefully directed. The safest thing to do is encourage the audience to express their own opinions.
11 ) Sacrificial Poet: Because no poet wants to go first in the slam, and because some judges, score keepers and time keepers need practice, each slam begins with a "sacrificial poet". This poet performs a piece and is scored as if they were competing in the slam.
12 ) Team Pieces: Any group of individuals who wish to do group pieces in the regular season or the summer season may do so. However, said group piece will receive a two point deduction from the poem’s total score and said group piece will not be used towards qualifying for finals at the end of the season.
Additionally, any individuals involved in a group piece is unable to compete in any other piece (be it group pieces or solo work) for that evening. Should the team performing said group piece make it to the 2nd round they would have to involve all the same group members in their 2nd round piece and would take the two point penalty in that round as well.
How the Victoria Slam Team is Chosen
If you are interested in qualifying for the Poetry Slam Finals you must place in the overall top 12 poets. The five top scoring poets at the finals night will become the Victoria Slam Team.
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