1.
Who fills in the forms for teams?
Correct Answer(s)
B. Primary and Division I teams may have the coach help them fill in the forms.
C. Divisions II, III, and IV must fill in the forms on their own.
Explanation
Coaches may act as a scribe and fill in the forms for Primary and Division I teams as long as they record the exact words the teams tell them to list. Divisions II, III, and IV must fill in forms on their own. Forms are very important. They help judges understand what you have for required elements, as well as team choice elements, of your solution.
2.
What's the penalty for a missing or incorrect membership sign?
Correct Answer
A. The penalty will be -1 to -15 points.
Explanation
To ensure that the judges score the correct team, and to be recognized by the audience, every team must have a membership sign that is readable from a minimum of 25 feet away throughout the presentation of its long-term solution. If the team fails to provide a sign it may create one while in the Staging Area. If it is not visible part of the time there is no penalty. If it is not visible most of the time it will receive a penalty. The sign must be created by the team. It must show the team’s membership number as it appears on the membership card, and it must show the membership
name that appears on the card. The name may be spelled out or abbreviated, as long as the abbreviations are recognizable by the judges. For example, George Washington High School may read George Washington HS or Geo. Washington HS, but GWHS is insufficient. If a membership card contains any other information, such as Team A, Team B, and so on, that must appear on the sign as well, either spelled out or abbreviated, e.g., Tm A. This required information on your membership sign must appear in the language of your tournament host at all times. Any other language that appears on the sign will be considered part of the sign’s decoration. The team may add to its membership sign as it wishes, and the sign may change appearance during the presentation; that is, it may rotate, blink, etc. The team may have more than one sign but only one will be the official membership sign that must be visible during the performance and scored if it is listed as a free choice Style category.
3.
My team is not sure if something they want to do in their solution will meet the requirements of the problem they are doing. Who should we ask for clarification?
Correct Answer
B. All teams must use the online clarification process. All answers to team clarifications should be printed out and brought to competition with the team.
Explanation
Clarifications must done through the online clarification process and will be upheld by judging teams and tournament officials. Clarifications must be submitted before the February 15, 2016 cutoff date.
4.
My team has a very large prop. The tournament officials will have to remove a bar between the doors for the prop to fit through.
Correct Answer(s)
B. All parts of a problem solution must be able to fit through a doorway that measures 28" x 78".
C. Teams may not alter the building in any way.
Explanation
All parts of a problem solution and the containers they are shipped in must fit through a
doorway that measures 28” x 78” (.71m x 1.98m), and they must be able to stand or be placed
in an upright position in a standard room (ceilings 7.5-8 feet (2.28-2.43m) high). This
applies to all containers holding parts of the team’s solution. A penalty will not be assessed
if a part exceeds these dimensions; however, some tournament sites may not be able to
accommodate them. Tournament Directors are under no obligation to provide time to
disassemble and reassemble these items to bring them into the room and the team must not
alter the building in any way.
5.
My team should arrive at the Long-Term performance site right at the time they are scheduled to compete.
Correct Answer
C. The team should be at their performance site 20 minutes before their scheduled competition time.
Explanation
All teams should arrive at their performance site 20 minutes before their scheduled competition time. This allows time for the Staging Area judge to go over required forms with the team and get the team checked in.
6.
Once my team gets inside the the performance site, they will be allowed to set up before the 8 minutes starts.
Correct Answer
A. The 8 minute time limit includes setting up. The team will not be allowed to setup before time begins.
Explanation
Teams need to practice timing their setup and performance within the 8 minute time limit that is required. The problems provide 8 minutes for the team to do everything. This includes moving items out of the Staging Area and onto the competition site, setting up sets and props, performing the skit, completing technical requirements, and so on.
7.
The team is bringing a repair kit, but it won't be used in the solution. Do we need to list it on the Cost Form?
Correct Answer
D. The repair kit is exempt from cost.
Explanation
Tools used to repair or assemble parts of a solution are exempt if they are not used as enhancement in the performance.
8.
All team members can participate in Spontaneous at competition.
Correct Answer
B. Only 5 team members may participate in Spontaneous.
Explanation
Though teams may have up to seven members, only five will participate in solving the spontaneous problem. This way, the team is not at a disadvantage if a member is unexpectedly absent from a competition or is unable to participate in the type of problem given. If a team has five or less members, all members must compete in spontaneous. Before entering the spontaneous room, know which members will compete in each type of problem.
9.
The team is having a difficult time getting a prop to spin as an element of their solution. What should the coach do?
Correct Answer(s)
B. Ask the team what other things might they be able to use to get it to work.
D. Ask the team what other things they have seen that work in a similar way. How were they made?
Explanation
Coaches act as facilitators, but they are not allowed to suggest how a team should solve a problem. They may pose thought-provoking questions, but they should never hint at a solution. If the team asks for an opinion, the coach should respond, “You decide.”
10.
When picking up scores from the Head Judge, a coach may...
Correct Answer
B. Ask for an explanation of penalties given.
Explanation
Video recordings are never put into consideration. A coach should always ask for more details about any penalties received. Unsportsmanship behavior on the part of the coaches, parents, or team members could result in an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty.
11.
After the team is done with their Long-Term performance...
Correct Answer
A. The team should be prepared for the judges to look at elements of their solution and the judges will ask them questions about their solution.
Explanation
During the performance judges will be watching for the aspects of the solution that they are judging. After the performance is when teams are given the opportunity to elaborate on their theme and show judges how elements of their solution work. Judges are excited to ask the team questions and learn more about their solution! This is time for the team to tell all about their hard work.
12.
A team is creating a backdrop, but they are having a hard time getting it to stand up and hold together. One of the dads drills the holes and puts the screws in to fix it.
Correct Answer
B. This is not allowed and would be considered Outside Assistance.
Explanation
The dad could have shown the team several ways to hold wood together on a different piece of wood, but not on the exact item they would be using in their solution. The team needed to figure out a different way of building their backdrop if the dad was concerned about using power tools. The team would receive an Outside Assistance penalty for this infraction.
13.
How many copies of the Style Form does the team need to bring?
Correct Answer
B. 4
Explanation
The style form lists which items judges will score for the style components of a team. Style forms are especially important as judges score exactly what the teams communicate; therefore, the wording of the form influences the team's score, not just the quality of the items. Teams can choose to print style in PDF and fill it out by hand, or they fill out a Word document and print (provided they do not change the formatting of the document).
The team must present FOUR COPIES OF THE STYLE FORM to the Staging Area Judge. If a team hand-writes their form, they should keep one copy for themselves in case they move on to the next level of competition. The judges will not return any style paperwork to teams.
14.
The coach can sign everyone's signature on the Outside Assistance Form.
Correct Answer
C. Each team member and coach must individually sign the Outside Assistance Form.
Explanation
Each coach, co-coach, and team member must sign the form individually. A new form will have to be filled out at the Registration Desk on Tournament day if it is not done correctly.
15.
We can video my team's solution and share it on Youtube whenever we want.
Correct Answer
B. This is not allowed until after World Finals each year.
Explanation
The Program Guide states: Don’t share your solution until after World Finals. This includes posting it online. Also, don’t
trust ideas, solutions, suggestions, etc. that others provide.
16.
A team member says, "It's alright for my mom to fix my makeup for the performance."
Correct Answer
C. This would be considered Outside Assistance.
Explanation
All makeup for performances in a team's solution must be applied by a team member. It is Outside Assistance for anyone other than a team member to do so. The team might have time to wash the makeup off and have a team member reapply it. Otherwise, the team would receive an Outside Assistance penalty.
17.
My team only needs to build one structure... the one they bring to competition.
Correct Answer(s)
B. The team should practice building several structures.
C. The team should practice crushing several structures before they come to competition.
Explanation
Teams should build and crush several structures while they are working on their solution. This helps teams determine how to build stronger structures. Teams should be familiar with placing weights before competition day.
18.
The person serving as a judge for my team will still be able to see the team's performance.
Correct Answer(s)
A. People serving as judges should not plan on being able to see the team's performance.
C. Judges are very important and they need to be prepared to serve as a judge the whole day.
Explanation
Judges will be busy judging all day and should not expect to see their team's performance. Teams are required to provide one person per team to serve as a judge at the tournament.
19.
The Style Form has two free choice of team categories. They could list...
Correct Answer(s)
B. The creativity of the team sign.
C. A character's costume that is not being scored already.
D. The humor in the performance.
Explanation
For these categories, teams cannot select anything that is already being scored; however, they can list a different aspect of something already being scored. For example, a vehicle scored for how well it functions may be selected to be scored for its appearance and a mandatory character scored for its performance may be scored for something else. Free choice categories should be what the team feels to be the most creative aspects of its problem solution. The team must be careful to list on its Style Form exactly what it wants scored.
20.
What things are required for teams to solve the problem?
Correct Answer(s)
A. A copy of the Long-Term problem the team chooses to solve.
B. The Program Guide.
C. Clarifications.
Explanation
Teams must use the Long-Term problem to know the required elements, Spirit of the Problem, the Creative Emphasis of the problem, and limitations of the problem. The Program Guide lists rules that apply to all teams, as well as much more important information. All teams and coaches are responsible for knowing what is covered in the Program Guide. Clarifications take precedence over limitations listed in the problem and the rules in the Program Guide, so it’s important that teams keep current on all general clarifications issued throughout the year.