After a hiatus of over 15 years, the District Committee has decided to resurrect the District Striking Competition! Before you throw your hands in the air and declare that you couldn’t possibly enter a competition, I thought it would be useful look at some questions and answers!
What is the point in entering the competition when there are more experienced bands who might win?
The thought behind this is not about the winning, but to ask bands in the area to have a listen and think to what their ringing really sounds like. From this point you have three months to practice as a band, ringing something you can ring well and really working on getting the striking even. On the day, it is your chance to show off what you are able to do and listen to what other bands are able to produce too,
Doesn’t this discount learners from the day?
The rules have been tweaked to try and make sure as many of our District ringers as possible can take part. Ringers do need to come from the same tower, but ringing Call Changes is perfectly acceptable, and not everyone needs to be able to lead. If you ring the same sequence of changes each practice between now and May, everyone should know what they are doing! Rotherwick are nice easy bells to ring.
Why would I want a judge telling me what I did wrong?
We will be very clear with our judges that this is a positive competition focussing on what bands have achieved and done well. Which bells rang well and what the ringing sounded like over all. Anything that could be improved will be generic to the band and won’t single out individual bells.
Can we borrow a conductor?
Absolutely! The rules allow for a band to borrow two ringers, as long as they are not ringing for more than two teams in total.
Can we practice?
There is a five minute practice before your test ringing to get used to the bells. If you have ringers who need confidence before entering, please contact the team at Rotherwick and they will try and make sure there is a chance for people to ring on the bells before the day?
Isn’t it boring waiting around all afternoon?
Once we get ringing, it will all happen quite quickly. Each team has a five minute practice and a test piece that will last about five minutes. However while you are not ringing, it’s a great opportunity to become “churchyard judges” and listen to the best ringing the Basingstoke District towers can produce and draw your own conclusions! There will also be refreshments available all afternoon. Bring some knitting, bring a book, or bring a whole heap of questions about ringing theory that one of the more experienced ringers there can help you with! The Coach and Horses opposite the church is also an excellent pub!
What if our ringing fires out?
Then it does. It’s not the end of the world. It has even happened at the National 12 Bell Striking Contest final! It’s just how ringing goes sometimes.
How many teams can we enter?
As many as you like. The more ringers involved the better.
I hope this opens up the possibility of every active tower in the District entering at least one band. It would be great to see as many towers as possible represented along with supporters for the afternoon. All teams that enter will be provided with a certificate. If there are any other questions, please let the District Officers know and we will try and answer them.
Please let Nici know if your tower will be entering by Friday 10th May 2024.
We are looking forward to a great afternoon!
Best wishes,
Adam