The Maine Elks Ritual Team has taken its sixth championship. From left in front are Harry Desjardins, Rick Williams, Bruce Brunelle, Wayne Cotterly, Robert Drisko, Christine Cote and Phil O’Brion; back, Roger Normandeau, Roger Sicard, Debbie Hamblen, Gail Howes, Floyd Howes and Past Grand Exalted Ruler sponsor Amos McCallum.

Elks ritual team takes sixth championship

AUGUSTA – For sixth year in a row, the Maine Elks Association Ritual Team has won the Area I Interstate-Relations Ritual Roulette Championships. The event was held on Sept. 17 at the Watervleit Elks Lodge in New York. The purpose of the contest was to promote excellence in the performance of the Elks initiation ritual and to foster better relations among the state Elks associations.

Four teams from across New England and New York competed in the event, which involved four of the lodge’s seven officers drawing for their ritual parts five minutes before their team competed. The four officers must memorize all four parts: exalted ruler, leading knight, loyal knight and lecturing knight.

Once the parts are determined, the team must perform before judges, who evaluate them on impressiveness, pronunciation, word accuracy, deportment and appearance. Deductions are made for each mistake, starting with a perfect score of 100 points and working downward.

The team from Maine earned a score of 96.730 points, beating out second-place New York with a score of 95.5593.

Earning recognition as Area I champions were: exalted ruler, Wayne Cotterly, Lewiston; leading knight, Bruce Brunelle, Sanford; loyal knight, Rick Williams, Biddeford-Saco; lecturing knight, Robert Drisko, Augusta; esquire, Christine Cote, Sanford; chaplain, Floyd Howes, Biddeford-Saco; inner guard, Debbie Hamblen, Portland; candidate, Gail Howes, Biddeford-Saco; and coaches, Harry Desjardins, Biddeford-Saco, Frank Ricker, Sanford, and Phil O’Brion, Farmington.

In addition to winning the overall team competition, several individual awards were earned: Wayne Cotterly, Bruce Brunelle, Rick Williams, Christine Cote, and Gail Howes for achieving the highest scores in their respective positions.