BTF Certified Comps

[scaplash]

Hey!
So a lot of the recent discussion that has focused on competitions, judging and the overall direction of the circuit got me thinking about the overall structure of the circuit.
What would be the feasibility of having "BTF-certified" comp? What I mean by this is some sort of way to discern which comps are run well with good/fair judging (as per the discussion posted earlier) and which ones are not.
Personally, I have been at competitions that were a waste of time in terms of poor levels of organization. On the other hand there have also been many well run comps.
The point of this discussion is maybe to see if its possible to have a higher body that can systematically bring some more accountability to all comps.
For example, should a comp be "BTF-certified" it would use a judging/scoring system that eliminates bias, it would have a system that had unbiased team selection, and would just overall be well-run (in terms of organization, professionalism). This could be a branch off the site mentioned earlier that would rate judges (aka certified comps would only have those judges that we the community feel are fair and knowledgeable).
I am not sure what the proper way to go about this is, or if it has been discussed before- but I thought it could at least be opened up to discussion.

 

[Mr. Mankiran]

This could spinoff to a good concept. Something that intrigues me about the fusion circuit is Bollywood America. Basically, whoever wins certain comps makes a "bid" to be in Bollywood America which is essentially the "best of the best" or "championship of champions".

It would be pretty dope if the Bhangra Circuit had something like that.

I think in a way Elite 8/WBBC try to be that, but it isn't REALLY an organized entity. Just a thought however.

 

[yraparla]

It is a good idea, and it's so funny how things come and go. We talked about this way back in 2011-2012, but I graduated and just never found time. I have a much more detailed and in depth plan somewhere, but here's our public proposal:

Bhangra Competition Collaborative
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b0uZ5HO6fDByUbzih4tAAL1dTq0XbIn4WtnROBZqu3c/edit?authkey=CKzh080J

BhangraJudging.com you can see is essentially Section I, focused on improving transparency, reliability, and attrition of judges. What you're talking about is exactly under section II- a certification that encourages comps to reach out, get some feedback/advice, and then be rewarded with a certification that encourages teams to apply.

It's an excellent idea, and I'm glad you brought it up. This collaborative idea was in response to interest for a 'federation' or 'circuit', but instead building a loose connection of services to keep the circuit running smooth. We felt at the time that it should be separate from BTF, but BTF at the time was much more active then it is now. It would no longer be an issue I would think outside of branding, and would reduce confusion I suppose.

It's kind of cheesy, but BhangraJudging.com, BhangraTeamsForum.com, BhangraCompetitions.com as a family of websites might not be a bad approach (especially since they all exist already!!). If you have web experience get at me, we can really start to make something impactful here.

 

[Saleem]

This is a worthy goal. Keep in mind though, with the large # of teams and small # of competitions, it seems teams will still apply to first year competitions. With second year competitions, the quality of a competition can be and should be widely discussed on BTF. I don't think we have enough of that reviewing and honest discourse on BTF anymore, but we should. The "certification" should reflect a quick-glance score that takes into account all of those reviews on judging, care of teams, coordination, etc.

 

[Saab]

I feel that this would be perfect for new comps to engage in productive dialogue to avoid having terrible first year experiences. It would be a good way to provide stability for competitions and ensure a consistent and enjoyable experience (not outcomes!) Across competitions. Furthermore, this process can be leveraged to provide greater clarity into what each competition is looking for in terms of a team perspective and provide an out of competition knowledge conduit between teams and comp organizers.

 

[scaplash]

I think one of the hardest thing with concepts like this is finding a consistent group of people that dedicate time in terms of upkeep-maybe something that might make this easier is something along the lines of more guarded posting of comps-i.e.-if a comp wants to put up information on BTF, they must satisfy certain requirements in relation to maybe judging, overall organization. If its a first year comp, maybe there could be a system that bans them from advertising again on BTF if their is significant legitimate complaints from teams?
I think it will be a good way to force competitions to have that dialogue with veterans in the circuit (aka the moderators) will benefit everyone involved as Saab mentioned.