Temecula Catalina Island 524

      At the Vista Lodge on Friday, May 30^th, several of our brethren participated in the 2008 Ritual Competition sanctioned by the Grand Lodge.  The event was quite an accomplishment for our Lodge, as we were the only group from our district to participate.  The competition was for the delivery of the Entered Apprentice Degree, from the Lodge Opening to just prior to the Lecture.

      Our group practiced very hard for the past few weeks, once we learned of the date for the competition.  While we had a few late-breaking changes to the team, several brothers stepped up quickly to fill the vacancies.  It was quite a pleasure to see how well our team performed in a ritual containing more than 4,500 words and more than 520 separate floor movements.

      Our categorical and overall scores were all above 95%, which is a huge accomplishment.  Only a small percentage of Lodges in the state participate in the competition, and only the district winners move on to the finals.  To score this high in the final round is both an honor and testament to our Lodge..

      While we were disqualified due to a technicality, we did receive accolades from the judges for our capabilities and performance.  This is something for which we can all be very proud.  We owe a debt of gratitude to our Officers’ Coach, Ron Perry for giving us quality instruction and motivation to compete.

      We eagerly look forward to next year’s competition – when we win the state!