Sweet Adelines International 75th Jubilee Commemorative Album

out of the area for their competition songs, then they were required to return until the placements were announced. If they didn’t follow these rules, they could be disqualified! Times have definitely changed. Early judging required the need of carbon paper so there could be copies of the scoresheets for the contestants as well as historical records. These scoresheets were also used at the after-contest critiques held at every convention to clarify scores. There were no audio or video recordings for reference and no ‘running narratives’ of a performance like those that exist on our scoresheets today. Rather, points were deducted from your score for mistakes made. When recordings became available and written comments were distributed to competitors, there was no further need for in-person critiques by judges. Sometimes these critiques would go into the wee hours of the morning as there were no required time limits.

SPOTLIGHT: JUDGING PROGRAM

1960s

•1961: Region #10 took the lead with the first all Sweet Adelines panel for a regional contest (Renee Craig, Nancy Bergman, Laura Young, Willeva Van Sickle, Marian Bond). The first judging manual included requirements for the Arrangement category that included submittal of an approved-for-contest piece, and for each of the other categories, a thesis was required to be sure each candidate understood their category well enough to adjudicate. The first international contest judged by an all-SA judging panel was in Toronto, Ontario (CAN). •1962: The biggest change to date was changing from five categories to four categories: Music Judge: covering arrangement and expression — Renee Craig from Royal Oak, Michigan (USA) Sound Judge: covering blend, balance, and accuracy — Helene Hesp, Denver, Colorado (USA) Precision Judge: covering attacks, releases, and diction — Darlene Sweet, Tulsa, Oklahoma (USA) Showmanship Judge: covering stage presence and demeanor — Bobbie Bostick, Royal Oak, Michigan (USA) •1963: For the first time, all regions' judging panels were composed of only Sweet Adelines. •1967: The Precision category was changed to Expression. •1968: The 100 points per song per category was devised, and levels were also identified as A, B, C, or D. They were awarded points rather than taking away points for mistakes/errors.

1962 Judges (left to right) Renee Craig, Music; Helene Hesp, Sound; Darlene Sweet, Precision; Bobbie Bostick, Showmanship

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