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WINTER 2009 Volume 23, Issue 1 Winter Guard International Ron Nankervis Chief Executive Officer Bart Woodley Marketing Manager Aaron Jenkins Marketing & Communications Coordinator Published By: In Tune Partners, LLC
Recession and Expansion With all that’s going on in the current economy, it’s logical to wonder how the winter marching arts might be affected. Will there be less participation in competitions? Will attendance go down? As the board of directors faced this revised financial picture, they set a deliberate course to provide more services while reducing some fees and assisting our event sponsors in producing regional contests that continue to excel. The color guard Power Regionals are expanding, and the Regional A Class is being reintroduced into some of our events, bringing local color guards into the world of WGI. After a few years’ hiatus, Minnesota welcomes back its percussion event, and a new color guard regional in Oregon breathes new life into the competition calendar. Although it is true that groups are reducing travel, the core of our activity remains strong, with new color guards and percussion ensembles emerging every day. 2009 will also see a sea change in technology for our organization, as improved online video streams and live World Championship webcasts bring WGI to anyone within reach of a computer. Judging commentary will go “all digital,” making it easier for instructors and judges to share information. We are truly beginning to hit our stride in providing the most stateof-the-art services for performers and fans. As we stand on the precipice before diving into a new season, let us all acknowledge the journey that has already begun and the finish line in April that seems so far away. It will be here in an instant. The cycle has a beginning, middle, and end, and we should all enjoy the all-too-brief ride. See you on February 7th!
Irwin Kornfeld CEO Will Edwards President Angelo Biasi Publisher Mac Randall Editor-in-Chief Jackie Jordan Creative Director Robin Stein Production Director Don Helsel Operations Director Joan Ferrara Business Manager Contributing Writers: David G. Hill, Scott Markham, Jose A. Mendoza, Melinda Newman, Michael Reed Photography: Jolesch Photography, Robert Cawthorne, Julia Higbe, Dan Scafidi, Linda Unser, and Sid Unser WGI FOCUS is an educational publication of WGI Sport of the Arts. Its purpose is to broaden communication within the family of color guards and percussion ensembles. FOCUS is published three times per year. WGI FOCUS is a free publication with a circulation of 14,000 copies and 12,000 online readers. All members of the WGI family may submit articles for consideration. WGI reserves the right to edit all submitted material. If your address has changed, please notify the WGI office. Failure to do this could result in the loss of your WGI FOCUS subscription. We don’t want to lose touch with you! For advertising information please contact Aaron Jenkins; phone: 937-247-5919; email: aaron@wgi.org
Ron Nankervis Executive Director WGI Sport of the Arts 4 WGI
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WINTER GUARD INTERNATIONAL 2405 Crosspointe Drive Dayton, OH 45342 937-247-5919 office@wgi.org www.wgi.org