Van Slam Family Awards Committee Report

[Tristan]

Hi friends.

On January 31st there was a Van Slam Family Meeting. An awards committee was struck to come up with some recommendations for awards we might introduce. This post outlines the committees work and is posted here so everyone can comment.

Here is what the minutes from the Van Slam meeting say:
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"Rookie of the year" award to new poets in the community who have never performed on stage before.

After brief discussion an Awards committee is established to select which award(s) are to be presented. Committee members: Daniel, Martin, Trevor, Aedan, Adrienne.

Discussion to be held on the Vancouver Poetry House forum for three awards to be presented during the next meeting that would then be put into place for next season.

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The Awards committee met on February 21st.

We recommend:
A standing awards committee be struck.
Nominations for each award will be submitted to that committee
The committee make recommendations to the Family about who should win each award
The awards be given at finals night each year
The awards year is the time between finals nights, including the summer and alt slams

Here are the awards committee's first stab at possible awards:

1. Roockie of the Year
Open to any poet who gave a poem (including slam, open mic, and sacrifice) on the Van Slam stage, provided they slam in competition at least once
Open to members of the team

2. Community Service
Open to any member of the Van Slam Community who contributes to the betterment of the community.
Open to poets and non poets.
Open to members of the team

3 Poet's choice awards
Open to any poet who has given a poem (including slam, open mic, and sacrifice) on the Van Slam stage.
Nominated by poets who have given poems (including slam, open mic, and sacrifice) on the Van Slam stage.
Team members are ineligible for this award

4. Poet of the year
Open to any poet who has given a poem (including slam, open mic, and sacrifice) on the Van Slam stage who demonstrates the greatest growth of their craft or who has served as an inspiration to our community.
Team members are ineligible for this award

5 Team MVP
Open to current members of the team only - including the alternate.
This award is for the best poet as determined by majority vote after discussion by the members of the team and both slam masters.

6. Van Slam Alumni Award
Nominated by former members of the Van Slam team, who shall have voice at the awards committee meeting where the winner of this award is decided.
Current team members are ineligible for this award

7. Volunteer of the year award
Open to any volunteer at a Van Slam event.

Thanks for reading this far.
Please give specific comments for each award and let us know what you love and what you hate.

A

[admin]

I congratulate the awards committee on putting together such a complete report with such celerity. Really, great work. This kick starts the whole effor to put together a series of awards for Van Slam, something that has sorely needed the organization and commitment that you've demonstrated.

I would have only two suggestions to these recommendations:

1. to rename the "Community Service" award, the "Spirit of the Slam" award, as was originally suggested two summers ago by The Svelte Ms. Spelt, echoing the award that he helped create for the National Poetry Slam. I like that name for an award, and the idea behind that name.

2. to test out the (admittedly) more complicated process of deciding these awards by direct democracy. I'd like to see them decided by some combination of ballots handed out at Van Slam events and / or online poll. Although this runs the risk of making these awards into popularity contests, it is more in keeping with the grassroots, democratic origins of the poetry slam. The only exception might be "Poet's Choice", which would have to be conducted among participating poets, and I'm a little unclear how this would happen. Perhaps some more details on the process for that award would be helpful.

Again, great work. It's good to see that the Awards Committee is off to a flying start.

[Duncan Shields]

I'm down with Rookie of the year.

I think that the Community Service award can be rolled into the Volunteer of the year award.   I agree that calling it the "Spirit of the Slam" would be a good idea.

I think that the poet of the year is the one that wins on Finals night.  I also think that winning poet would be the MVP.  I see trouble with the MVP award.  It could cause trouble with team unity during NPS if the poets are consciously or unconsciously jockeying for the MVP award.  I think that if one makes it on to the team, one is by default an MVP.

I'm still not clear what the Alumni Award is about.

So I'm down with the Rookie of the Year and the Spirit of the Slam award.

Hey how about an award for the person that has the most points heading into Finals Night?  : ) WINK WINK.   

[Lisa]

Here are the awards committee's first stab at possible awards:

1. Rookie of the Year
Down with this award. Check mark.

2. Community Service
Agree with others who want this to be named the Spirit of the Slam award.

3 Poet's choice awards
Agree with the criteria, good stuff.

4. Poet of the year
I think this criteria should be amalgamated with #3.

5 Team MVP
I AM DEAD SET AGAINST THIS AWARD. For the reasons that Duncan mentioned.

6. Van Slam Alumni Award
Enh. Don't like this award. I think this is really more like the Van Slam legend stuff that Angus was working on. I can't for the life of me remember the name of it.

7. Volunteer of the year award
Agree with Duncan re: the overlap between this and the community service award.

[RCW]

I was thinking that with the "Poet of the Year" award we could incorporate an old poetry slam tradition "the best poet always loses" and award it to the one poet who has failed to make it to the second round the most amount of times over the course of the season.

Not to point out their supposed lack of "success" but because they realize the "points are not the points, the point is the poetry" and they keep coming back with their poems to share with everyone.

And at the same time it might end up acknowledging a poet who is taking risks with their work that is not immediately fitting in to some sort of mass appeal.

I also agree with the idea that Volunteer and Community Service awards be made in to one and called the "Spirit of the Slam."

And while I'm not necessarily in favour of the "Rookie of the Year" award I can see it's utility.

[Duncan Shields]

The Alumni stuff that Angus was working on was called the Vanguard.  It honored a small number, I think six or seven, of poets that started and then championed the scene here in Vancouver.  SR Duncan, Angus, RC, and some others that I don't know but were around at the genesis.  It was actually the reason I designed the log in the first place.  It never really took off but it was a nice idea.

[Father Goose]

Does the awards committee envision more trophies, belts and other for these awards? Currently I am putting my nose to the grindstone to finish the slam team trophy by month end, and trying to come up to the same caliber as the championship belt aint exactly easy, but it would be cool to make some medals or something. Sorry to get all olympic on everyone. I doubt I could do anything else for this season but for next year, who knows?

CFGW

[Duncan Shields]

I think for now we just need consensus on the awards themselves.  Actual medals aren't necessary for this year.  We might frame up some certificates or something on the cheaper side like that.

[admin]

Just a note of clarification: at the last Van Slam Family Meeting we agreed that none of these awards would be handed out until April 2011, next year's Finals Night. So there's no need to rush this process, which I think is a very important one.

[Tristan]

I'm giddy that people care. Keep the feedback coming.

[Father Goose]

Holy cow, I just had a nutty idea (as I sometimes do), actually a solution to a couple problems, as I toil away on the new Van Slam team trophy.

Problem 1: I don't see an award here that fits the criteria of something I feel very strongly about... this scene has some unsung heroes, poets that come out and entertain and share their art, never to make the finals, like maybe Eva Waldouf or that Eric fellow with Parkinson's, and may never be a part of the slam team at all, but who are in fact an integral part of the entire scene. I think an award honouring a diehard slam poet who gives their all without any reward is something the committee may want to look at.

Problem 2: The late Vlad E. Vostock (whom I never had the pleasure of meeting) was apparently one of the poets I have mentioned above. Which is why there is a small brass trophy in his name (currently at my workshop), even though he never made the team, he was a poet who came out and performed his stuff, damn what the judges ever thought, and RC tells me that the Vlad E. Vostock Memorial Trophy (as it's inscribed) was the original slam team trophy and that we cannot forget to include it somehow.


Now I will tell you that in designing this new much larger team award I am having trouble from an artist's point of view incorporating the original into my own work; in other words, it doesn't really fit. So I think the solution seems obvious to me, but with all due respect I would want to hear the opinions of RC and others who knew him. Could we not award the Vlad E. Vostock trophy seperately each year to an unsung slam poet such as mentioned above? I mean his name could become synonymous with this type of slam poet as does the Lady Bing stir up images of gentlemanly hockey players.

I eagerly await your responses.

Thanks, Father Goose.

[admin]

Not such a bad idea, Clint. In theory I like it a lot, but how would we decide it?

[Father Goose]

I guess the board could become an academy of sorts. It seems to me that other awards also mentioned in this thread could not be decided by any point or ranking system either. I suppose there'd have to be nominations and then a vote.

The more I think about it, this would immortalize the late Vlad E. Vostock much more than somehow affixing his somewhat forgotten, largely unspoken of trophy onto or into the new team trophy. This new one will be typically refered to as the slam team trophy (I imagine) where the smaller one would be forever here on in the Vlad E. Vostock memorial award handed out to the scene's most appreciated underdog each and every year.

A good idea no?

Again, I am having trouble artistically incorporating it into my piece, it just doesn't look right anywhere. And I maintain that the Vlad E. Vostock award will far more recognize the man for who he was as I understand it.

My two pennies.

[RCW]

I think the Finals Team Trophy should still be called the Vlad E. Vostok Memorial but if there are actual technical impossibilities with incorporating it into a new piece of hardware, I would personally be more flexible.

I still think Poet of the Year should be awarded to the local slammer who has failed to make the second round the most amount of times.  Vlad also went by Zeechilla and we could name that trophy after him as well.

[Father Goose]

Thanks for the flexibility Randy. I am trying my best to honour the man as you would have me do it. I am nowhere near finished this project and it definitely could change but it is nice to know that there are options.

You knew him better than many it would seem so perhaps you could characterize the type of poet he was and attach that characterization to one of the possible proposed awards. Again I think that by attaching his name to the award itself he could posthumously receive the best recognition. And I refer back to Lady Bing's name being synonymous with classy hockey players. Vlad E Vostock could come to mean the well-liked underdog, or whatever other personification you would have attached to his name.

You picking up what I'm laying down?

Father Goose.