Membership Information
Thanks for Your Interest in Joining!
Application for Membership
The fees and the application are submitted to the Treasurer, Jennifer Buzalski, per the instructions you will find there. The dues for New Members are $650 per year for attendance at ALL the Circuit Shows, including Circuit Championships Prelims & Finals. There are no additional fees due for as many performances as you want. This also includes many perks you will read about below.
An added $100 is required as a "Surety Bond," which is refundable at the end of the season. However, most units just carry it over every year. This Bond is forfeited if you don’t show up for a scheduled performance.
As a new Circuit member, dues are payable before your first performance, so you can pay them whenever possible.
Exhibition
Units interested in “trying out” the MWCGC experience may apply for exhibition without being members, excluding the first weekend and Championships.
Judged exhibitions are a $200 fee, and you receive the same scoring (not for placement but your comparison) and judges’ commentaries as a member unit. The non-judged exhibition has a $100 fee per performance, but no scores or commentaries are provided. Some prefer to introduce performers and their support staff to how things work in the MWCGC.
Contact Contest Director, Sara Reich, at mwcgccontestdirector@gmail.com if you have questions about doing exhibition. Sign-up for exhibitions is done on the Contest Sign-up link.
Circuit Shows
We usually host 8 to 14 competitions yearly before the Championships. You are not required to attend Championships, though most Member units attend. Exhibition-only units may not perform at Champs. Champs qualification is simply dues paid and a minimum number of shows attended. Your dues cover all entry fees, including Championships. If you are competing on a National level, our fees do NOT cover any Winter Guard International (“WGI”) competitions, including WGI Regionals. However, units in our Circuit get "credit" for a Circuit appearance for performing at a WGI Regional. You must apply with them if you want to attend a WGI show. You can find information on their website: www.wgi.org.
Units already members of our Circuit need to appear in 4 shows to qualify for Circuit Championships, including the first weekend of shows. There are exceptions made to this rule for units with a bona fide excuse, such as school administration rules and so on.
Units in their first year with the Circuit only have a two-show requirement to qualify for Circuit Championships and do not have to compete for the first weekend of the season.
Show sign-ups may be completed through CompetitionSuite around Oct 1 after submitting the membership application.
Rules
We use Winter Guard International (“WGI”) rules with a few minor exceptions found in our By-Laws and also listed below. The various levels of competition (Classes listed below) have score sheets tailored to the designers' and performers' talent and experience levels. These Classes are explained in detail in the WGI Rulebook. The WGI Rulebook will be free to all members and units who sign up for the exhibition and all prospective units who ask.
Class of Competition
We have plenty of competition categories so that all guards can feel good about performing with groups “at their level,” along with an opportunity for success and reaching your individual program goals.
- “Cadet” Class – Only pre-high school performers (i.e., pre-HS, on the Regional A score sheet)
- “Regional A” Class – Inexperienced guards and programs.
- “AA” Class - Experienced beginner/intermediate guards who don’t compete nationally, for Scholastic units only.
- “A” Class – Experienced beginner/intermediate guards– Solid Basic/Intermediate Skills
- “Open” Class – Intermediate/Advanced Skills
- “World” Class – Advanced Skills
- “Senior” Class – Not nationally competitive (at least one member over 22 yrs. old)
In each of these divisions, we have “Independent” class and “Scholastic” class competitions (except “AA,” which has only Scholastic). So there are plenty of divisions to choose from. You may need guidance here, and we can help you decide which class of competition to enter. If, after competing, you are in the “wrong” class, there are procedures in place to allow you to move from one class to another.
Additional Benefits of Membership
We pride ourselves on the support our Members receive from each other, our Volunteer Staff, our Administrative Staff, and the Board of Directors. At no additional charge, we have educational seminars for our instructors, offer free Consultation Service to our Members, cheer for each other, support each other, and have outstanding camaraderie. Our goal is that all units achieve their unique program goals.
If you have questions, please contact any of the Board Members.
