2021 Season Update

Dear FFCC Family,

The Board of the FFCC is dedicated to providing live performance experiences for the 2021 season. We are working with show sponsors and their local school administrators to ensure that the events are safe and meet the guidelines for COVID-19 protocols. The thing we know for certain is that this is a constantly changing situation and will require us to monitor and adapt as needed. The safety of our performers is paramount and will remain our first consideration as we move forward with these plans. We ask your patience, support, and understanding as we work to provide these events knowing that we may have to make changes to make the season a reality.

Sincerely,

Michael Higbe

FFCC President

2021 Season Update: October 18, 2020

The FFCC intends to host both live and virtual events in 2021, with enhanced safety protocols and updated membership options to allow as many teams to participate in the safest way possible. Our season will start later than usual but will provide plenty of performance opportunities for members. The FFCC will host our annual membership meeting on Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 3:00pm via Zoom for team directors. Meeting and team registration information will be available shortly.

2021 Season Plans

Please review our tentative plans for the 2021 season. These are subject to change and will be reviewed further at our Director’s Membership Meeting.

Membership
- Membership in the FFCC allows you to participate in premiere, regular season events, and qualify for championships.
- There is no minimum participation requirement for teams not planning to attend championships.
- Championships qualifying requirements will be altered as follows for the 2021 season:
  - To qualify for championships events, colorguard teams must participate in a premiere event and at least two regular season events. These may be live or virtual performances.
  - To qualify for championships events, percussion and winds teams must participate in a premiere event and at least one regular season event. These may be live or virtual performances.
- Membership fees will be as follows for 2021:
  - Circuit Membership: $500
  - Championships Registration: $100
- Membership Options
  - You may register in any class you choose.
  - Members may elect to participate in Evaluation Class, which is a non-competitive, educational performance option. Evaluation class members may participate in live or virtual events, or a combination of both. Evaluation class members may attend championships as long as they meet minimum performance requirements and pay the championships registration fee.

- Season Dates
  - Premiere events will take place on the weekends of February 6 and February 13, 2021. More specific information will be provided soon. Teams can also participate in a virtual premiere performance, should they be unable to travel.
  - The Regular Season events will take place on Saturdays between February 20^th and March 20^th giving us a five-weekend regular season, only one weekend shorter than a typical season, since we will not be taking any weekends off for WGI regional events.
  - Virtual performances may be for evaluation only or for a score during the regular season. Virtual competitors will compete against other online teams for that week in their own event.
  - Championships events are tentatively planned for the weekend of March 26-28 in Daytona Beach. We are working with our partners at the Ocean Center to plan a safe and sustainable event.

- Season Protocol
  - Live events will include enhanced safety procedures. These specific policies will be released in November/December, but will include:
    - Limited time on campus for all teams. You will have an arrival window, a performance time, and a departure window.
    - Performance flights: There will be a round, or flight, of teams on campus to perform. The gym will be cleared after the round for cleaning.
    - Limited Spectators: Spectators will be limited based on gym capacity and will purchase tickets for specific blocks of time during the day. Tickets may be tied to the performing ensemble and sold in advance only.
    - Retreat events will take place online on Sundays.
    - There will be no physical trophies for premiere and regular season events. Teams will receive digital awards the week following their performances.
    - Additional procedures may vary based on location, you will need to check the director information weekly.
  - Virtual events will have an upload deadline each week. Virtual performances will be recorded on a single fixed camera, with no editing or post-production. More information will be available soon.
  - More information will be provided throughout November and December regarding safety procedures.

- Judging
  - Premiere events will be educationally focused and will be conducted in a clinic style. You will receive commentary, but no score.
  - Live events may have a smaller panel of 3 to 4 judges during the regular season. This information will be available by January.
  - Virtual performances will be judged by qualified judges, number and make up of judging panel to be determined.
  - There will be no live critiques. All commentary will be provided as recordings.

Please save the date for Sunday, November 8th at 3:00pm for the annual director’s membership meeting. Further information to follow.

2021 Season Update: September 27, 2020

The FFCC Board of Directors has been meeting with stakeholders and officials in our communities, as well as contest administrators from other circuits around the country over the last several months in an effort to make plans for the 2021 season.

While there are still many unknowns, the FFCC is planning to seek as many in-person performance opportunities for our membership as are safely possible in 2021. These events may look different from previous seasons in many ways, including spectator capacity, procedures for teams, staff, and spectators, contest rules, show availability and capacity, and much more. We have also been working to expand our ability to offer online, virtual performance opportunities for our teams, should they be necessary, or should teams wish to participate in that format.

We are tentatively looking to the beginning of November for our initial membership meeting, and for schedule availability. We are keeping a flexible timeline in regards to our regular season, which may start slightly later than normal, and may not be limited to the traditional constraints of the WGI schedule.

The FFCC is committed to making youth events that prioritize the safety and well-being of our performers, staff, and fans available to anyone who wishes to participate in 2021 and beyond. We appreciate your patience and support as we continue to navigate this unprecedented situation.