I know there has been much discussion about the proper use of titles on the discussion board. I also just read a letter in the recent Drum Major from a judge/contest director regarding "title misrepresentation". While I agree with her letter, I am perplexed as to why NBTA does not do more to enforce the rule.

Drum Major is a NBTA publication and they will print pictures with a title that is misrepresented. For example, a picture that states ______ is the 2008 Intermediate Miss Majorette of _______ is often published in Drum Major. NBTA/Drum Major could simply change the caption to _______ is ____ 's 2008 Intermediate Pageant Winner. This would serve as a model for the correct use of titles for all the readers. A more extreme measure would even be to have a policy that they do NOT print pictures that have inaccurate representation of titles.

I am also surprised at the number of contest directors that give banners to the intermediate and beginner pageant winners that say "Juvenile Beginner Miss Majorette of ____ ". Again, it would be nice for the contest directors to be aware of the rules and apply them correctly in having sashes made and to model the proper use of titles.

Maybe NBTA could implement a new policy that does not allow any of the girls to wear sashes that do not have the correct title on them for the awards ceremony. Of course, NBTA would have to make that publicly known well in advance, but I bet you would see a lot more girls walking around with banners that have the correct title on them.