Illegal Interp

[airpezman]

What do you think of illegal interp in forensics?

Example: "Christmas County" won nationals and then was disqualified.

"Making Toast" was 6th in 2003, and it is being taken out this year to NFL Districts. Is it READILY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC? No.

"008" is not "readily available to all of the public". It has been at nationals many years, and it was in nfl finals in 1999.

Basically, there is a great amount of literature that cannot be purchased through amazon, barnes and noble, or borders.

What are your thoughts on it?
Why does it get by at NFL Districts?
Why do coaches have their kids use this illegal interp?

Pez

[Josiahzacks]

maybe I'm being naieve, but doesn't giving a kid a piece that will be funny/dramatic/whatever no matter what he or she does with it deprive said kid of the learning experience this whole thing is supposed to be?

who cares if it's "readily availabile" to the public? If you're using it just b/c someone else had success with it, then what's the point?

[Ryan]

At Harvard, 3rd place duo went to Wicked. They did a cutting that included songs and verbal material from the show. The actual script has yet to be published. The only way that they could have received this without the piece being illegal is by buying it from the producers somehow, while we all could not be able to do. At NFL, the rules have become much more hardcore though in the last couple years. All quarterfinalists must now present their material to the tournament staff.

[IERULZ]

The NFL rules do not specify that a selection must be "readily available". The rules, as printed on page 7 of the 2004-2005 NFL National Tournament Manual, state:

2. Selections: Selections used in these contests shall be cuttings from published, printed novels, short stories, plays or poetry. No high school publications or recorded material that is not printed and published is unacceptable. Adaptations may be made for the purpose of transition. Monologues are acceptable in Dramatic and Humorous Interpretation. In Duo Interpretation each of the two performers may play one or more characters, so long as performance responsibility in the cutting remains as balanced as possible. [If the selection is prose or poetry and contains narration, either or both of the performers may present the narration.] During the presentation the contestant/team must name the author and the book or magazine from which the cutting was made.

The key elements in this definition are "published" & "printed". The pieces identified above may or may not be legal, although I think it borders on slander to call someone's selection "illegal" unless you have unimpeachible evidence from the NFL that the selection is illegal. If they meet the criteria of being printed and published, it doesn't matter if they are readily available. Many reputable publishing companies (e.g. - Samuel French) publish and print scripts that are not available through Barnes & Noble.

[Ryan]

I think it borders on slander to call someone's selection "illegal" unless you have unimpeachible evidence from the NFL that the selection is illegal.
Right, that is why I did state how it may be legal, but in a highly doubtful situation. I hope that it is completely published and all so we will see it again in late outrounds at nationals, but with the complications that have arisen around getting that script for the mainstream audience, it may not come out to be that easy.

[airpezman]

I agree with your point that the material must be "printed" and "published". However, the material must be "readily available" to the public. Contact NFL Office, and he'll explain this rule to you. If I own the only copy of a selection that I have published called, "Blueberry Eggs," this is not legal. It must be "readily available" to the public. NFL should be able to answer all questions about this.


pez

[IamTHATnerd]

yes, but say you protest somebody, whos doing a piece that may be limited release, all they have to do is say, "look at the rule book". whats your excuse gonna be? "well this guy that i called said this and that so youre wrong". no, its not written. "readily available" is not written. therefore, it cant be used as an excuse.

[airpezman]

I have been at nfl district tournaments where they had to call Copeland. They often will call a nfl official to settle a protest or appeal.

And no-I would never protest. I do not believe in protesting. This hurts the kids. I only believe in venting ;).

pez

[IERULZ]

I have been at nfl district tournaments where they had to call Copeland. They often will call a nfl official to settle a protest or appeal.

And no-I would never protest. I do not believe in protesting. This hurts the kids. I only believe in venting .

pez

Pez is correct. I should have included up above NFL Interpretation rule #5 that states:

5. Caution. It shall be the affirmative duty of each coach and each student entered in NFL interpretation contests to determine absolutely that the cutting being performed meets NFL rules.

If you or your coach have any doubt whether the selection is legal, you should contact the NFL Executive office for clarification.

[BansheeSoccer13]

A few years ago, a team from my school wanted to do a selection that they saw at Nationals, but when they tried to find it, it was impossible. Finally, the had to get in direct contact with the author. Moral of the story, if it really is published, and you really want to do it, you can get hold of it. You just have to try a bit harder.

I think the coaches should take greater care in making sure their students are doing "legal" selections. I don't think protesting is all bad, but, often, I have to agree, it just hurts the students who didn't even realize they were breaking the rules.

[Forensicatur]

I think you are all getting worked up over stupid stuff. Protesting on the legitimacy of a piece is the dumbest thing to me. It says, well i couldn't beat you in performance so i'm gonna make sure i beat you on technicality. If you want my opinion we should be able to perform anything because this is a performance contest not a literary guild. People that bust their butt finding a rare good script should be commended not hindered.

[aqua4n6]

A few years ago, a team from my school wanted to do a selection that they saw at Nationals, but when they tried to find it, it was impossible. Finally, the had to get in direct contact with the author. Moral of the story, if it really is published, and you really want to do it, you can get hold of it. You just have to try a bit harder.

Pez looks REALLY hard for pieces - and he's really good at finding them. If Pez can't find something, generally there's a problem.