NPS 2012 competing teams

[jesster]

Team Inkwell just had Divine (Verb Kulture) drop from the team. We held a last chance Slam where Chris Key (Christopher Woodson) won and replaced her. Can you make updates to the roster of competing poets on the Arlington Inkwell Poetry Slam Team?

Duane,

Contact Abbey over email on this one. Make sure that Chris has a current PSi membership and this shouldn't be a big deal (as long as Chris is over 18 years old)

-Jesse

[Bro.Said]

I thought there were no issues with underage poets this year since no bouts are in bars this year. I have a new replacement player and she is 17.

[jesster]

I thought there were no issues with underage poets this year since no bouts are in bars this year. I have a new replacement player and she is 17.

NPS is a 21+ event. The Host City can elect to have it be 18+. Under 18 competitors are not allowed.

-Jesse

[jesster]

A little historical reference on the 21+ issue - http://www.poetryslam.com/forum/index.php/topic,2264.msg23682.html#msg23682

-Jesse

[jesster]

It was also apparently voted on many moons ago:

http://my.poetryslam.com/national-poetry-slam-age-limit

-Jesse

[Bro.Said]

So the Charlotte Host City Committee has decided that NPS 2012 is off limits o those under 18?

[Bro.Said]

Clarification: Under 21?

[AmyD]

NPS has been off-limits to under-18 poets for years. It has to do with insurance or liability or something like that, but it's pretty clearly stated in the rulebook.

[Bro.Said]

The PSI rule is clear.  But I've seen under 21's competing in recent Nationals.

So the exception to that rule is the Host City can explicitly decide otherwise. Now my question is: IS THE CHARLOTTE HOST CITY COMMITTEE  NOT ALLOWING UNDER 21???

[Bro.Said]

Inkera???

[Bro.Said]

By the way the MOS RECENT NPS rules book revision says:

"Team Eligibility.

Teams must be chosen from an ongoing slam or reading series open to all poets regardless of age, sex, race, ability, appearance, or sexual orientation. All certified/registered venues are expected to uphold the Equal Opportunity Statement. Team members must be chosen through some form of competition; how that competition is structured is up to the local venue or SlamMaster so long as anyone who considers him/herself to be a part of the community fielding the slam team has the competitive opportunity to join it.

Because Poetry Slam is growing, not all certified venues can necessarily be included in the National Poetry Slam. To accommodate as many poets as possible, from as diverse a geographic base as can be achieved, some certified Poetry Slams will be encouraged to share an invitation to the National Poetry Slam. A person participating at the NPS can only be either a member of one and only one team."

No organization is perfect, but we seem to have an ongoing theme of rules contradiction and policy.

[Bro.Said]

After seven years,you guys should know me by now. I ACTUALLY read the bylaws and the rule book.

[Sam Castello]

The PSI rule is clear.  But I've seen under 21's competing in recent Nationals.

So the exception to that rule is the Host City can explicitly decide otherwise. Now my question is: IS THE CHARLOTTE HOST CITY COMMITTEE  NOT ALLOWING UNDER 21???

Speaking to the question of under 21 (but still at least 18), Charlotte did recently affirm that they would allow 18+ to compete. I can't find a formal announcement, but I know that it came up and there was discussion and ultimately it was decided that 18 - 20 year olds would be able to participate.

I hear you on the reading of the By-laws, but that being acknowledged, I think there is plenty of history and collective agreement that under 18's have never been allowed to compete at PSi events.

-s

[jesster]

I will be adding this explicitly to the next revision of the handbook. After reading this question, I looked for a specific area of the handbook that stated this and couldn't find one. I also could only find a mention of a vote that I posted in one of my links.

There are certain things that a lot of us take for granted as "known." Like the fact that NPS is 21+ unless the HC declares it is 18+. There are certainly enough discussions about it on this forum. There is even specific language that shaped a notion I made in last year's NPS SlamMaster meeting:

XI.   MOTION:  Move that a deadline of July 1st be created for any registered and potential NPS team to declare themselves an under 21 team for that year’s NPS tournament.  Seconded. 

MOTION:  To amend.  Move that a deadline of July 1st be created for any registered and potential NPS team to declare themselves an under 21 team for that year’s NPS tournament if the tournament is an 18+ tournament.  Seconded.  Discussion.  Motion carries.

MOTION:  To amend.  Move that if the tournament is an 18+ tournament that the deadline set for all teams and everything declared for the teams be the same deadline of July 1st.  Seconded.  Discussion.  Call to question.  Motion fails by visual majority. 

Back to original amendment of:

Move that a deadline of July 1st be created for any registered and potential NPS team to declare themselves an under 21 team for that year’s NPS tournament if the tournament is an 18+ tournament.  Call to question.  Visual majority.  Motion passes.

And yet, still there are a lot of people that just think it is an 18+ tournament and even some that think under 21 means no lower limit.

So, I recently tried to update the rulebook with all the motions I could find since the last time it was updated, based on minutes I could find. I didn't know if this was a rule, legal issue, or something else, so it didn't make it into my edits.

I do apologize for not having this read clearer. I shall try to be better at this in the future.

-Jesse

[Bro.Said]

Jester, there  needs to be a motion to change the ACTUAL EXPLICIT language of the team eligibility rule. Based on the PRESENT RULE a team is eligible to attend NPS IF MEMBERS OF THE TEAM WERE CHOSEN REGARDLESS OF AGE, and other DISCRIMINATORY factors.

To limit NPS to adults 18 + or 21+ is not wrong. Certain theaters don't let kids below a certain age see CERTAIN movies and teens aren't allowed to buy cigarettes. BUT  OUR OFFICIAL RULE BOOK NEEDS TO STATE EXPLICITLY IN THE TEAM ELIGIBILITY SECTION THAT WE LEGALLY DISCRIMINATE BASED ON AGE.

I think that's the real source of the confusion about the issue.