Week 2 Inclement Weather Updates
Published January 27 2022

We have been closely monitoring the weather conditions leading in to this weekend. The Board of Directors met last night to discuss the forecasts and a plan on how we would move forward through the weekend. Please make sure to read this entire message, as it contains a great deal of important information!

Premiere West (Dorman HS) Update

Right now, the event at Dorman HS is moving forward as planned. We will continue monitoring the forecast and will update everyone should these conditions change. With the indoor warmup and flow of the Dorman contest, we feel comfortable enough in the forecast that we will be able to successfully host this event for those that are able to attend.

Premiere North (Northwestern HS) Update

After careful consideration of the forecast, we’ve decided to make modifications to the Premiere North contest. Given the extreme temperatures and wind chill, combined with the possible precipitation and lack of indoor warmup space, we are cancelling the Percussion & Winds Contest for this weekend at Northwestern HS. We do not feel it would be a safe situation for students to be outside in these conditions, and there is not a workable indoor space for groups at the school which would not require students to be outdoors. All Percussion & Winds groups currently registered for the contest will still receive Premiere credit towards Circuit Championships.

The Color Guard contest at Northwestern will be moved up by 45 minutes so that the contest will be concluded by 9:00 PM. Critique for this show has also been cancelled. This will allow groups plenty of time to travel home safely. We encourage all groups to support the Northwestern HS concessions stands as they have worked very hard to host this event for all of us.

The online schedule will be updated shortly to reflect these changes, and a text message will be sent to group directors once ready.

Judging & Travel Concerns

There is a significant chance that we will have travel issues for judges coming in to both contests this weekend. While we do have a few judges on standby should someone not make it in, we can’t cover every position on the panel. One of our standby judges has already been put on one of the panels due to illness. We ask that you remain flexible and understanding as we work through these obstacles.

If we are missing one judge from the panel, we will modify the scoring system to accommodate the missing judge. If two (or more) judges are missing from a panel, we will move to comments only and no scores will be given.

All groups will be notified by text message the day of the show in how we will proceed if we are faced with these challenges.

Premiere East @ Corinth Holders HS

Due to the inclement weather this weekend, if any groups want to pull out of the event at Northwestern HS and add to the event at Corinth Holders HS next weekend, they may do so without penalty. You must send a request to [email protected] by 12:00 PM tomorrow in order to make this adjustment.

Inclement Weather & Cancellation Policy

I encourage all directors to read the inclement weather policy below (from the CWEA Policy Manual). Answers to your questions about withdrawals from events due to travel issues will be in the policy. If you still have questions, please feel free to reach out to us for support. Remember: If it is unsafe for you to travel to an event, you should not travel to the event. Please make sure you’re familiar with the policy below.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through these challenges. We will update you as additional information becomes available.

Sincerely,

Cody Crawford
President, CWEA

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Weather Cancellations Policy

At times, it may be necessary for the delay and/or cancellation of an event due to inclement weather for the safety of students, instructors, spectators, and CWEA Staff. In the event of inclement weather, the following procedures will be followed:

The Director of Events will consult with the Circuit President and the Event Partner to determine if a safety concern exists. All parties will then determine to either cancel the event, delay the start of the event, change the schedule for an event, or to postpone discussions until a more educated decision can be made.

If it is determined that a delay of start of the contest is necessary, or if a change in schedule is required, the Director of Events will work to create a new official schedule for the event which will be posted to the circuit website. Notifications of these changes will be sent via email and text message through CompetitionSuite.

If it is determined that the event is to be cancelled, notification of the cancellation will be posted to the circuit website. Notification will also be sent via email and text message to all group participants through CompetitionSuite.

In the event of a cancellation, all groups that are scheduled to compete at the time of the cancellation will still receive performance credit for Circuit Championships.

Non-Member Groups who are registered AND have paid the non-member registration fee will receive a credit for the amount of the fee to their account. The credit will remain for use towards other fees, fines, and/or registrations for other events. No refunds will be issued as a result of an inclement weather cancellation.

Should a unit director determine that due to inclement weather, travel for students and staff of the ensemble is unsafe, they must notify the Contest Administrator via telephone as soon as the decision is made. Unit directors will be assessed the withdrawal fines as described in section 1.2.3 of the CWEA Policy Manual.

Group Directors may submit a signed letter from their school administration to the circuit explaining that they were unable to travel due to inclement weather. Units who submit the letter will have associated fines waived and removed from their account. Letters from scholastic groups must be received no later than one week (5 business days) from their return to school. Letters from independent groups must be received no later than five business days following the event.