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TCU HOMECOMING 2015 Float Guidelines and Parade Handbook

for TCU Student Organiza;ons

FLOAT HANDBOOK

This handbook is intended for TCU student organiza;ons intending to build or to enter a float into the 2015 Homecoming parade.

Important deadlines, safety policies, parade

rules, judging criteria, building instruc;ons, and other float resources are outlined.

2 TCU Homecoming 2015

CONTENTS

Important Dates 5 Theme 6-‐7 Float Pairings 8 Construc;on Timeline 9-‐17 Judging Criteria 18-‐19 Parade Rules and Safety 20-‐21 Route 22

TCU Homecoming 2015 3

TCU HOMECOMING The first known TCU Homecoming football game was held in the 1920s. Since then, the University has celebrated homecoming for alumni and spirit events for current students through tradiDons such as a football game, recogniDon of outstanding seniors through Mr. & Ms.

TCU, and a parade around campus.

The role of TCU Student AcDviDes is to facilitate a safe event and to encourage student and community

involvement in the parade; however, the success of the parade solely depends on the students dedicated to

capturing the TCU spirit through their parade entries and support of this long-‐standing tradiDon.


IMPORTANT DATES

9/15 – Student Org Float Registra;on due @ Noon *This deadline is only for organizaDons entering a float into the parade.

Week of 9/28– Finishing touches and decora;ons 9/30 – Student Org Parade Entry form due @ Noon *This form is for all student organizaDons entering the parade.

Oct. 2 – Parade (check-‐in at 5:15; staging begins at 5:30pm).


HOMECOMING THEME

The TCU v. UT game is a tradi;onal Texas rivalry. The Horned Frogs first faced the Longhorns 118 years ago (the first game

was held in Waco in 1897). The theme of the 2015 Homecoming Parade is celebraIng TCU’s Texan

heritage in the heart of Cowtown – Where the West Begins!


FLOAT THEME RULES

The float theme must be consistent with the values and policies of Texas Chris;an University. Inappropriate, vulgar, or derogatory behavior or content will result in disciplinary ac;on. TCU Student Ac;vi;es reserves the right to remove parade entries, par;cipants, or patrons if any ac;vity compromises the safety or well-‐being of any par;cipant or spectator.


ORGANIZATION PAIRINGS TCU Student Ac;vi;es and TCU Fraternity and Sorority Life are not responsible for determining the Homecoming Parade pairings. Your organiza;on is responsible for crea;ng any desired partnership with another organiza;on. The same float rules and guidelines apply to paired organiza;ons. The number of walking members surrounding the float entry will s;ll be limited to 20 members, regardless of the amount of collabora;ng organiza;ons on the float.


BUILD TIMELINE (suggested) Week of 8/24 – brainstorm theme and design Week of 8/31 – finalize design; make a plan for the build; locate a safe construc;on/storage site Week of 9/7 – gather materials and begin construc;ng the framework Week of 9/14 – finish framework and begin superstructure (anything above the float bed) Week of 9/21 – begin pomping (consider crea;ng teams to complete each sec;on to reduce overall workload) Week of 9/28 – complete pomping and add finishing decora;ve touches Friday, 10/2 – floats must be complete by 5pm


FLOAT SUPPLIES Supplies you may need: •  Wood •  Glue or spray adhesive •  Pomps (;ssue paper) •  Trailer •  Tools (hammer, nails, staple gun, etc.) •  Chicken wire or corrugated cardboard •  Wire cueers •  Safety glasses •  Ladder


HOW TO BUILD A FLOAT 1.   Brainstorm a float design –  S;ck to the theme; be crea;ve; ;e in your organiza;on and

TCU pride 2.   ConstrucIon –  Iden;fy a place to build (needs to be dry and safe). –  Gather your tools (such as hammers, staple guns, tape

measure, glue, etc.) –  Build the framework (haywagons/trailers are most commonly

used for float beds) a.  If you plan on having riders, you will need to ensure the floor

strength of the bed can accommodate the added weight of the riders b.  Use the wagon bed and add structure (e.g. chickenwire) needed for

your design) –  Check out YouTube for more ideas!


HOW TO BUILD A FLOAT 3.   Float Design – Pomping: pre-‐cut squares of colored ;ssue paper, usually 5”x 5” Method 1: Chicken Wire

–  Chicken wire is tradi;onally used; can be cut with ;nsnips and molded over the wooden superstructure into flexible shapes; join chicken wire pieces with wire

–  In large coverage areas, you can place a pomp in every other opening. For dense detail, use every hole.

–  Working with a small area, spray the chicken wire lightly with spray adhesive or paint with glue. Then take a single pomp, form it quickly into a cone over the ;p of your index finger, and place into the wire.

–  Consider distribu;ng chicken wire sec;ons to a work team to reduce the workload and pomping ;me. Each team can complete their own area and join the sec;ons together.

Method 2: Corrugated Cardboard (uses spray adhesive) –  Spray a small sec;on of cardboard with spray adhesive –  Form a cone over your index fingers with a single pomp and touch the point to the tacky

cardboard –  Aeach pomps approximately 3” apart for regular coverage –  When covering large areas, reduce pomp by pain;ng the cardboard to match the pomp

color –  Cardboard can be fastened to the frame with staples; try not to overlap the cardboard,

instead, make the edges bue together –  Cardboard will droop in humidity so only add a few days before the parade


HOW TO BUILD A FLOAT

Building a float must involve students from all classifica;ons, and not just new members or first-‐year students. Building a float, par;cipa;ng in the parade, and showcasing TCU spirit is a great teambuilding ac;vity or brotherhood/sisterhood event. For more informa;on on hazing, please review the TCU Student Handbook: www.studenthandbook.tcu.edu TCU student organiza;ons must conform to all applicable local/state/na;onal laws and TCU policies in all of their prac;ces.


FINISHING TOUCHES •  Fringe or skirIng

–  Keep the boeom edge 2” above the street –  Aeach using staples

•  Festooning (paper product used to cover seams and flaws, especially to cover skir;ng/fringe) –  Aeach with staples

•  Le_ering –  Make styrofoam or wood leeers to customize your float

•  Banner –  Have organiza;on members create a banner to walk in front of your float to

explain your theme and to add your organiza;on name •  Balloons

–  Use balloons on the day of to add height and personality; can also be used to create arches or shapes on your float

•  Music


If construc;on isn’t feasible for your organiza;on, but you s;ll want to show your TCU pride, we recommend contac;ng Lone Star Parade Floats in July or August to commission a custom float for your organiza;on. These floats typically run between $1,500 and $2,500 depending on the size and detail of the float. Your organiza;on can then personalize the float with banners, leeers, posters, etc. An example of a custom float from Lone Star for a student organiza;on is featured below.


HELPFUL STORES/SITES

Float supplies/ideas: •  Paradefloatsuppliesnow.com •  Amazon.com •  Stumps.com •  OrientalTrading.com •  Andersons.com •  Home Depot or Lowe’s •  Pinterest.com


FLOAT SAFETY During Build: •  Wear safety glasses when using hand or power tools, wire cueers,

hammers, and staple guns •  Place ladder on a flat, level surface with a spoeer at the base •  No decora;ons may be placed on lights or around hea;ng and

electrical equipment. Any electrical cords must be properly installed, protected, and in good repair.

•  All wheels must be at least 6 inches in diameter and must be load bearing

•  Protect yourself and others from any blades or sharp objects during use

•  Invest in a tarp or plas;c sheet to protect supplies during weather •  There must be no exposed rebar, nail heads, staples, chicken wire

ends, etc. in areas expected to come in contact with people. Use proper nail lengths or bend the ends.


FLOAT JUDGING CRITERIA

•  Quality of construc;on (professional, complete) •  Design and color •  Originality and crea;vity •  TCU/Homecoming spirit •  Entertaining/Crowd reac;on

–  The number of organizaDon members permiMed to walk alongside a parade float is limited to 20. Other members are encouraged to wear TCU/OrganizaDon clothes along the parade route to create a lively, spirited atmosphere for parade guests.


SAMPLE JUDGING RUBRIC

CRITERIA ConstrucIon quality

Complete, pomped, consistent use of materials/decoraDons, effort involved

3 2 1 0

Design and color Visually appealing 3 2 1 0

CreaIvity Unique ideas or concepts portrayed 3 2 1 0

Spirit Promotes TCU and Homecoming spirit 3 2 1 0

Crowd ReacIon Appropriate, involves crowd, fun to watch, includes organizaDon members present along parade route

3 2 1 0

A panel of faculty, staff, and alumni will serve as the parade judges and will use this criteria to score student organiza;on float entries.


PARADE RULES •  Groups are responsible for providing their own vehicle. •  Vehicle must present current insurance and the driver must have a valid license. •  The maximum height for entries is 13 feet. The maximum width is 9 feet, and the

maximum trailer length permieed is 30 feet. •  During the parade, jumping on/off a vehicle, trailer, or float is not permieed. •  Vehicles must have FULL TANK of gas •  Organiza;ons must check in at their designated ;me on the day of the parade. •  Floats arriving more than 15 minutes late will not be allowed into the parade •  Organiza;ons’ names must appear clearly on the float or accompanying banner •  No more than 10 people may ride on the flatbed or float. •  Walking groups are limited to 20 members. •  Throwing items from a flatbed or float is prohibited. Items must be handed out to

spectators by members walking on the street. •  All riders must remain seated, or, if standing, have a secure handhold. •  Smoking and alcohol is not allowed in the staging area or near the floats. •  Entries must be removed immediately aqer the parade and may not be leq on

Main Campus or leq at dumpsters for disassembly.


PARADE SAFETY During Parade: •  At ;me of check-‐in, any float or vehicle deemed unsafe by FWPD or

TCUPD will be removed from the parade lineup. •  Safety chains provided must be affixed to the flatbed. The safety

chain should be crossed and connected to the towed and towing vehicle as well as the towing bar to prevent the bar from dropping to the ground. The chains should have no more slack than is necessary for turning.

•  Use or consump;on of drugs or alcohol will result in immediate disqualifica;on.

•  Do not cover or block the ;res. •  Do not obstruct the driver’s view. •  All gas pipes must extend outside the float. •  Fire ex;nguishers will be provided to each student organiza;on

float chair at ;me of check-‐in for fire safety throughout the parade.


PARADE ROUTE


QUESTIONS? Contact [email protected]

or visit www.homecoming.tcu.edu
