WGI 2021 is Going Virtual?!

Oct 2, 2020 | Design, For Instructors, For Performers

Happy Friday everyone! So in case you haven’t seen it, it was announced earlier this week that WGI 2021 is going virtual. Directly from WGI:

“WGI will offer a robust schedule of virtual competitive and non-competitive events to keep students and educators motivated and engaged. New classes for Junior groups, Regional A Percussion & Winds, and Concert Winds have been added to our regular competition classes.”

I’m here to break it down for you and tell you everything that you need to know about this new era of colorguard.

What does a virtual season mean?

All competitions and events will be hosted online. This means that your ensemble will be together, but the audience and other ensembles will be competing via pre-recorded video.

What’s new?

So many things! Where to start…

  1. All performances will be pre-recorded video.
  2. The Junior Class (Elementary and Middle School) can now compete.
  3. No more seeding!
  4. There is now a “Non-Competitive Class”–great for groups and soloists who want feedback but don’t want to compete. All of these will be hosted on FloMarching.
  5. Virtual Awards (Let’s get it FB Banner)
  6. No matter where you are, you can compete in a solo event.
  7. The I am WGI Future Leaders Program: A 3-year mentorship program designed to help rising voices in the community learn and grow within the WGI organization.

What are the rules?

There are a lot, but here are some of the biggest new rules:

  1. All performance order will be decided via random draw. No seeding for any event.
  2. Videos must be pre-recorded in one take and uploaded by the given deadline.
  3. No minimum performance or equipment time for any class.
  4. No restrictions on performance space size or location.
  5. For scholastic classes, pre-approved combined schools groups will be allowed to compete, but no new combined schools applications will be processed.
  6. The Junior class can now compete.

Full 2021 rules can be found here.

Will there be competitions?

Yes! There will be group and solo competitions. All competitions will be online and will be pre-recorded.

What are the pros & cons of this format?

Pros:

  1. There’s a season! Woo!
  2. Allows teams to get together and still create a program.
  3. Keeps colorguard instructors employed.
  4. Significantly lowers the cost of the season (no travel, hotels, etc).
  5. Allows anyone who wants to to compete in solo competitions and receive feedback
  6. Education can start earlier in life
  7. Gives a little more access to the activity than before.
  8. Safer option than hosting in-person events.
  9. Allows room for educators to learn more about what’s “behind the scenes” at wgi.
  10. Judges can watch videos multiple times and catch all of the little nuances!

Cons:

  1. No meeting new groups/friends/ lack of sense of greater community outside of your immediate team
  2. Harder to see the artistry behind other groups programs (It’s hard to see everything on a video!)
  3. Groups have to have video equipment and a location that’s high and sturdy enough for them to record a high-quality video to upload
  4. Subject to technical difficulties.
  5. Can’t clarify with judges (all feedback given online at a later date)
  6. Still a major risk of infection among group members.
  7. No cheering audience for that adrenaline rush!
  8. No more extensions for the 2020 and 2021 age-outs.

In Summary…

So is a virtual season worth it? Only you can answer that question. What are your favorite parts of the season? What do you value? You’ll still get the education, team bonding, show creation, and artistic side of the activity. But the camaraderie among the community as a whole, the traveling, and the cheering crowds will be virtually non-existent.

WGI didn’t really have much of a choice here. If they wanted to have a season in good conscience, it had to be virtual.

To be fair, they seem like they are doing a lot to stop gatekeeping to try to make WGI more accessible and to help groups stay up and running. However, for the performers who do this because they love the art of performing, the payoff may not be what you want it to be.

Want more info? Check out WGI’s website the their official Virtual Seasons Announcement down below.

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