Rules
RULES RULES RULES ------------ for the 2008/ 2009 season
THE S/B POINT SYSTEM...
In a nutshell - it goes something like this.
1st Place = 8 points
2nd Place = 4 points
3rd place = 2 points
Competing in a Slam = 1 point
(If you sign up but are not chosen to compete, you will still earn a point as though you did compete)
Each Slam (One per month - October thru April) will be a qualifier*.
Each Slam will be open to anyone - who is over 18
(Up to ten poets may compete in a Slam, if more than ten sign up to compete - there will be a lotto draw to determine who competes, it is NOT first come first served.)
* The Oct. - Dec. Slams will also be qualifiers for the Women of The World Poetry Slam in Detroit, MI in March 2009. Any women who make the top three during these prelims will compete in January to see who earns their place at this event. (The winner must cover all of their own expenses associated with WOWPS.)
The GRAND SLAM will be held on May 4th, 2009.
The Grand Slam will be reserved for the eight poets who have collected the most points throughout the season (at Soap Boxing only)
**note** A poet must compete in at least two (2) qualifier Slams to be eligible to compete in the Grand Slam, regardless of how many points they have.
If there is a tie for the eighth spot, one more poet may compete.
If there are more than two poets tied for the 8th spot, there will be a Slam-off to determine who competes.
The Grand Slam will be a four (4) round Slam. All 8 poets will compete in the first round, and again in reverse order for the second round. The 6 poets with the highest cumulative scores will advance to the 3rd round with a ‘clean slate’ (their scores will go back to zero) and a random draw. They will then perform again in reverse order for the fourth round.
The winners will be the 4 poets with the highest cumulative scores from the 3rd and 4th rounds.
The top four winners of the Grand Slam will form the Soap Boxing Slam team.
The poet in fifth place will be an alternate and may join the team at Nationals if funding allows or if they cover their own expenses.
The "TEAM" is the group of poets who will travel to Poetry Slam Nationals in west Palm Beach, FL in August 2009.
Should, due to any circumstances, a team member have to drop out of Nationals competition, the alternate will take that team member's spot, and the 6th place individual would then move into the alternate's spot - and so on. If for some disasterous reason, all or some of those who competed in the Grand Slam find themselves unable to compete at nationals and a four person team cannot be fielded - a new competition will be held, and the remainder of the team will be completed from the winners of this competition.
Soap boxing does not guarantee funding for travel, lodging, or any expenses associated with Nationals or Soap Boxing Slam related activities.
More Team details may be made available later in the season.
There is no guarantee that Soap Boxing will field a team to go to the National Poetry Slam or any other competition, or that even if a team is formed, it will qualify and/or be able to attend and/or compete in said events. In some instances, poets must be 21 or older to compete at the National Poetry Slam.
Sign ups to compete begin at 7:00 pm and close at 8:00 pm.
The rules are as follows:
· Each poem must be of the poet's own construction.
· Each poet gets three minutes and ten-seconds to read one (1) poem. If the poet goes over the allotted time, one half (1/2) point will be deducted (from the total score) for every ten seconds over time, e.g. if your time is 3:10 you're just fine, if it is 3:11 you lose 1/2 point, 3:21 you lose 1 point and so on.
· The poet may not use props, costumes, or musical instruments or accompaniment. Props are defined as anything not readily available to ANY competing poet (a microphone stand or chair from the audience are not considered a prop) If you refer to a necklace in your poem, then grab the necklace you are wearing, that's a prop, and you will be disqualified.
· Five judges, randomly selected from the audience, score each poem (based on writing, performance, and originality) from 0.0 (the lowest score possible - a bad poem performed very poorly) to 10.0 (the highest score possible - a brilliant poem performed perfectly)
· Of the scores the poet received from the five judges, the high and low scores are dropped, and the middle three are added together, giving the poet a total score of 0 - 30. All scores throughout the Slam are cumulative.
· The 1st – 3rd place winners win prizes.
The Prizes may come in the form of cash, check, or any possible item. The winning poets may not receive their prizes on the night of the Slam. There is no set amount or value for prizes, regardless of place. The amount gifted to the winners is determined before the Slam begins, but will not be disclosed until the winners are announced. This is done to assure the purity and honesty of the Slam.
First round:
Up to ten poets perform in a randomly selected order.
Second Round:
The eight highest scoring poets compete again, this time in reverse order from the first round.
Third and final round:
The top five poets with the highest cumulative scores compete in a randomly drawn order.
Rules Set September 7th 2008. These rules may change at any time with or without prior notice.
2 wins and you're in:
Poetry Slam Inc. has implimented a system known as "Two Wins and You Are In"
This is a means by which only teams that are serious and skilled can attend NPS.
Certified venues must field a team from October thru April, and compete against other teams from around the country. If your team beats two others, they are guaranteed a place at the top of the NPS atendee list. If you beat one but lose to another, you get placed one slot down and so on.
If you are interested in competing on the St. Paul 2W&YI team, please contact Matthew Rucker at matthewrucker@juno.com
