Team Competition 1 update

The following communication refers to Competition 1 held between 24 July – 8 August 2021.

As you would be aware, the State Government announced on Tuesday that the current lockdown in Victoria will continue until Tuesday 27 July 11:59pm. Further details have been provided in the following link – https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covidsafe-settings.

This unfortunately means that the competitions scheduled for this weekend (24 – 25 July) cannot go ahead. We also acknowledge that the ongoing restrictions as we move out of lockdown will impact our competitions moving forward, particularly in relation to density limits, which have a significant impact on the number of people permitted backstage.

Our aim this year is to ensure as many competitions go ahead as possible. Our team, volunteers and competition convenors are working tirelessly to consider all scenarios, and this is a day-by-day process as we manage many factors in a changing environment.

We are working on a revised schedule for 7 – 8 August as it is not anticipated theatres will reopen for next weekend (31 July – 1 August). This schedule is based on a density limit of 1 per 4m² as this is the most likely density limit placed on us by the Government when theatres reopen (the current competition schedule is based on 1 per 2m²).

At this point, the revised schedule will only include Intermediate and Senior sections entered in competition 1 as these teams have the lowest number of performers and require the least support backstage. Changes will be made to accommodate density limits of 1 per 4m², including split sections, reduced backstage passes and altered times, venues and dates, but we will keep as many sections on the same day as possible. If teams are unable to attend the competition due to schedule or other changes, full refunds will be provided to clubs. We will continue to monitor the situation based on Government restrictions and release this schedule next week.

Clubs will be provided with a full refund of entry fees for cancelled competitions. This now includes all Tinies, Sub Juniors, Juniors and Masters sections entered in competition 1. We understand how difficult this news is. We will continue to work through options for these sections for competition 2 should the density limit remain at 1 per 4m², with the priority of getting all performers on stage.

At this stage we don’t know the impact on audiences, however we are working through a number of different scenarios.

As Government restrictions ease over the coming weeks, we will provide updates to clubs, coaches and members of our community as soon as they are available.

We are thinking of everyone in our community, especially our young performers who are faced with challenges beyond their years. If nothing else, we will come out of this with a resilience we never thought possible. We would also like to acknowledge and thank all our volunteers and competition convenors who are working to ensure our teams enjoy performance opportunities. Together we will get through this, and we hope to see every performer on stage this year, doing what they love. Stay connected, reach out if you need help and be kind to yourself.