Chapter Challenge

As you already know this year we are celebrating 25 years of the IWG. To celebrate this event, and beginning with this year’s celebratory seminar, the Executive Committee are organising a new and additional competition - The Chapter Challenge.

This allows a Chapter to be represented in a competition for the first time. The traditional competitions for individual members at the seminar will continue as normal. For the Chapter Challenge only ONE entry per Chapter will be permitted.

It is intended that this will become an annual event and to this end the Executive Committee will commission a perpetual trophy, which the winning Chapter will retain for one year (with full bragging rights!). However, if a Chapter has three consecutive wins they retain the trophy.

The idea behind the Challenge is to encourage a spirit of competition between the growing numbers of Chapters and to maintain group work and team spirit within Chapters. Each year the Executive Committee will choose a theme for the Chapter Challenge. The theme for 2008 is “Nesting Boxes” – a lidded box within a lidded box within a lidded box … like Russian dolls.

• The boxes may be made out of any timber / timbers
• The overall maximum external size is 10” x 5”
• Provided the judges are satisfied with the quality of workmanship and finish the entry with the highest number of boxes will win
• In the event of a tie, in the number of boxes, the judges will select the winner
• The judges decision will be final
• Entries to be submitted at the seminar in Inniscrone

The Executive Committee intends to invite some of the international demonstrators to judge. The trophy will be presented to the Chairperson of the winning Chapter (or his/her representative) during the Saturday night Gala dinner.

It would be good to see an entry from all eighteen Chapters. I am asking you and your committee to make every effort to encourage participation in the first ever Chapter Challenge in this country. It is up to each individual Chapter to decide how to choose their entry. It can be a team effort or the result of a competition within the Chapter. In any event it will be the Chapter name that goes on the entry, not an individual or a team. Two Chapters have already declared their intention to win and one has even cleared a space in their display cabinet! I’ll let you know after the event if their predictions come true!

Who will have the honour of showing off this trophy for the first year? It could be you?
If you need further information please contact Joe Laird at joelaird@irishwoodturnersguild.com