The Bouts:

The bouts were determined through random draw July 11, at a party following the first ever Texas Invitational Slam. Members of '98 NPS teams from Austin, Dallas, and Hot Springs and individual competitor Tony Gallucci witnessed the magic. We rented a shiny raffle drum and placed each of the cards in a toy Mexican wrestling ring after we drew them. It was an efficient yet beery affair. The grid is designed so each participant competes in a different venue at a different start time against different competitors each of the first two nights. We ask that you arrive at the venue and check in with the house manager a half hour before the bout starts.

All Bout 1s start at 7 p.m., all Bout 2s start at 8:30 p.m., and all Bout 3s start at 10:00 p.m. MC's and House Managers are listed with the bouts. Individual competitors will read at the start of the bout's fourth rotation.

WEDNESDAY BOUTS:

THURSDAY BOUTS:

Venue Descriptions and pictures are HERE.

Oh, and have a look at The Prizes.

SIGNAL CARDS
We're trying something new at this year's Nationals. Since we are not requiring teams to present fixed orders to the MC before the bout, we're making signal cards available to each team, in order to communicate poet order with the MC. Here's how it works:

1. Each poet will be assigned a color for the duration of the tournament. Each team will have a green, orange, purple, and yellow poet. This will be assigned alphabetically. No choosing, Sorry.

2. When you check in for a bout with your house manager, he or she will give you a packet of five cards: four color cards plus a white card for group pieces.

3. During a bout, when it is your team's turn to read, a team representative will hold up the card corresponding to that poet's color. For instance, if Walt Whitman is your team's purple poet, you will hold up the purple card with the large P written on it (a safety measure in case of tricky lighting or a color blind MC). The MC , who will have the codes on a bout worksheet, will then announce you are sending up Walt. If it is a team piece, and Walt is the only primary author, hold up the white card and the purple card. If it is a team piece written by more than one member, hold up the white card only. However, at the conclusion of the bout, if you have more than one unclaimed group piece, you must assign each of those poems to a poet's slot, in writing, to the MC.

4. Return the cards to the house manager at the conclusion of the bout.