A Technician's Internal Dialog

Since sometime around 1996, I have been a loud and proud technician. Some years I have been a part of the design team and other's I have stepped back and let the design team do their business...as long as they let me do mine. I've never pretended to be a designer, although I certainly have had my share of design ideas. I've never written a phrase that anyone at WGI would say, "Wow...did you see that? How did they do that?" I've been on the receiving end of that phrase however, as I analyzed late into the night how I would attack the phrase, what muscles were engaged and every effort in between of every 'and count.' If I had to create the staging, it would make a design analysis judge's eyes bleed, but I can look at that staging and ask, "Ummm....was the intent to completely block your best phrase on sabre by a teenage boy on the other side of the floor throwing some high, over rotated 12 on rifle?"

Over the years, as a loud and proud technician, I've had an inner dialog that's pretty strong. The older I get however, that internal dialog is becoming pretty damn external. Let me tell you what a good technician knows. We know that the effects are crucial. We know that without a strong book that flows from one moment to the next moment guiding your eye across crucial points of the stage, then the score will suffer. We understand that the designer has a vision and their ability to design to that vision to maximize points is crucial to the success of the program. As a technician, I have to take it all into account and know that my job is to bring the design vision to life. It is my job to understand the kids and what they can do. It is my job to create a relationship with my designer and be able to say, "No. Absolutely not. If we go this route, with this skill, we lose 20% of our cleaning time, just focusing on this one moment. Is the effect worth it?" As a technician, it is my job to challenge the thought process of the designer when it comes to skill and the day to day work of bringing those skills to life. These are hard conversations to have. They are contentious and often times result in knock out drag out fights.

This relationship of tech to designer dialog, back in my early years, was something I didn't have the guts or the power to contend with. I played along. "Sure. Let's try a blade 5 on sabre with a tilt under it." My inside voice was telling me no, this risk won't be worth it in the end, as we risk the comfort of the mind of the performer as they struggle to get past it. Nowadays, I don't keep it to myself. I simply say, "I will give this 3 weeks. If they don't have it by then to the point that all we have to do is clean it, then it's coming out. I would recommend that you have a backup plan."

A tech's job is hard. There is so much involved with training the guard to be cleaned for the show. We fight idea's with the designers and often times listen to the audio files and sit in critique shaking our internal head back and forth as we say to ourselves, "I told you this wouldn't work." I've worked with a number of designers over the years on the field and in the gym. The good ones, listen to their technical staff. They bring the ideas to the table in the beginning and simply ask, "Do you think the kids can handle the character and skill?"

As a technician, I sit back and watch the creation of the design with intent. I know when to speak up and when to simply stay out of the way. I realize that laying out the design is a complex process, as complex as it is while I write my novel, hoping to get each character saying exactly what I need them to say. I watch the writers toil over the phrases that look beautiful, but often sit back shaking my head thinking, "Well that will last 4 minutes. What class again do they think we are writing for?" My personal favorite is when the kid...you know the one...the one that just started spinning yesterday, just MIRACULOUSLY ends up on the 50 in the middle of the flag feature...in the front. "Oh joy for us all this season," I'll think to myself. I'm convinced it's deliberate torture method by the design team to the tech team when they put that kid on the 50 and it's so ironic that it happens...every...single...year.

It's February and it's the time of year when we get to see if the design and technical team built a relationship with each other or if one took precedent over the other. Your score will reflect it when the kids can't pull off the big GE moments or they look as if the character of the show is beyond their maturity as not just performers, but of age as well. Sometimes I'll be the main tech for a show and just think, "My God. I can't even count this. How can the kids?" Sometimes I think, "Well, I'm so glad we get to listen to this all season. Does someone have a sharp implement I can stab in my ears?"

When it's time to start really cleaning the show, sometime in early January (ish), I make a list of every skill in the show and what muscles and joints are engaged in that skill. There are times when I simply don't know how to clean it. I look at the skill and think, "Ewww....how the hell are we going to clean that?" I look at the speed of the show to assess potential stamina issues. I calculate risk and go ahead and start the process of planning my argument if the day comes we realize the risk wasn't worth it and we have to change that moment. I also calculate risk in terms of time. I make it very clear to the staff that if a particular moment is staying no matter what, that we will sacrifice other moments in the cleaning process and those moments might not get touched until close to the very end of the season. Risk doesn't scare me. What scares me, is a staff that doesn't understand how to calculate risk in terms of time and performer mindset. If both don't play into the formula, then the risk will result in a crap shoot at shows.

It's cleaning season folks and I ask this, "What was your process of preparing to clean your show, whether you are the sole designer or you have a team of people working with one program?"

As a technician, every count of the show lies at my feet so the vision can come to life. I take that responsibility very seriously. I've learned that I can impact the score by doing so much more than counts, but by making sure breath and effort change is not cleaned out, but enhanced upward. I don't make excuses for lack of time, because the design team had to fix a major moment. I just sit back taking notes and thinking about how quickly and in what ways I can make up the time.

For just a little tech humor on this warm Sunday mid-February afternoon, I want to share some of my favorite designer/tech moments with you and the internal dialog that went through my head.

Designer

"This year's show is a look into the mind of a baby in the womb of its mother in the aborigine regions of Australia."

Technician Internal Dialog

"Oh for the love of God. Can't just once we do a show on something simple like the color blue?"

Choreographer

"Girl this is going to be fabulous. I have written you the best flag feature you've ever seen."

Technician Internal Dialog

"Great. We have 12 females who weigh 75 pounds wet and the entire feature takes place at the end of the pole. I'll be moving that hand down the pole in two weeks."

Designer

"I don't have a clear vision on the ending yet. I want it to be just right."

Technician Internal Dialog

"Do we have the same calendar? You know it's February right?"

Designer

"I'm thinking that the ending flag feature needs some tweaking."

Technician Internal Dialog

"Tweaking my ass. This will be a total re-write resulting in me having to clean this in the parking lot of the Dayton arena before prelims."

Designer

"I don't understand why they can't catch their s***!"

Technician Internal Dialog

"Because you took all our technique time to spend 18 hours trying to figure out the opening pose."

Designer

"The judges don't understand what they are looking at."

Technician Internal Dialog

"Me neither."

Designer

"I want to open the show with an ensemble rifle 6, that builds into a major moment on the back prop where Johnny (the only boy) throws a 7 while tilting the body under it and the rest of the guard falls to the ground upon impact."

Technician Internal Dialog

"Great. You know he hasn't been consistent at shows in the past three years and our best girl is falling to the ground directly under his toss. I'll make sure 911 is programmed into my phone."

Designer

"You're going to love this year's costumes. They are going to have a white stripe down the arm to bring out the idea of peace on earth."

Technician Internal Dialog

"I could care less why the white stripe is there, but don't yell at me when the judges see every wrong arm position like a lighted beacon in the middle of a black ocean. Oh...peace on earth? Wth!"


This post is obviously all in fun, but I just wanted to send a shout out to all the techs out there that I get you and I've got your back. May we all endure on the road to championships and I'll see you in the parking lot in Dayton cleaning the newly written flag feature. :)