What is the Elusive Gilded Gavel (EGG)?
The Elusive Gilded Gavel is a transient ornate trophy. It is a colossal mallet that can be effectively used to preside over a District 6 Toastmasters meeting. It is a prize offered by the momentary host club as an enticement to visit.
What is the purpose of the EGG?
The purpose of the EGG is to encourage Toastmasters to visit other clubs! Each of our district’s clubs is unique. By visiting another club, we meet new Toastmasters, discover different ways of running meetings, and participate and have fun in a new environment.
Who hatched the EGG?
The EGG idea was hatched by the District 6 Trio in 2005-06 as a way to encourage Toastmasters to visit other clubs for ideas, programming, and mentorship. The EGG was hand-crafted especially for District 6 by Del Meismer, husband of then-LGM Pat Croal.
The EGG began its auspicious journey at the 2005 District 6 Fall Conference. The first club it visited was the Nomads in St. Louis Park, MN (club of that year’s Toastmaster of the Year, George Kane).
What are the Rules for Capturing the EGG?
The intent of the traveling EGG is to encourage members to visit other clubs. To this end, visiting members are expected to attend the full meeting.
- To be eligible, the capturing members must be on time, based on the official meeting information posted at Toastmasters International, and stay for the entire scheduled time of the meeting, or until it adjournes, whichever is earlier.
- Because the EGG is meant to encourage Toastmasters to visit other clubs, there are no “take backs.” A club may not take back the EGG from the club that most recently captured it from them. Furthermore, a host club may not surrender the EGG to the same visiting club more than once in a 12-month period.
- A club may capture the EGG only once per 3-month period.
- The EGG may only be captured by and reside in District 6 clubs.
What happens if more than one club arrives to capture the EGG?
- Any District 6 Toastmaster visiting from a club that meets over 150 miles away takes precedence over other potential claimants. See the complete description for the Rule of 150 below. Otherwise, it takes at least 2 people from the visiting club to capture the EGG.
- If two or more visiting clubs are present, the club with the most members present wins. Dual members (members of both the capturing club and the host club) count as ½ credit. It is not allowable to capture the EGG with only dual members; at least 1 person must attend who is not a member of the host club.
- If two or more visiting clubs have the same number of members in attendance, the one with the highest percentage of their membership in attendance captures the EGG (based upon number of members registered at TI).
- If after rule #3 there is still a tie, then the EGG goes to whichever of the tied visiting clubs came the farthest distance (as determined by club meeting locations).
Rule of 150
Usually, it takes at least 2 people from the visiting club to capture the EGG. The only exception is when a club attempting to capture the EGG is over 150 miles away (one-way trip distance, on the most direct road route between the two club locations, as measured by MapQuest, Google Maps, or another authoritative source). In that case, 1 member is enough to capture the EGG. A visiting Toastmaster from a club over 150 miles away takes precedence over any club within 150 miles, no matter how many members the closer club has in attendance.
If more than one club from over 150 miles away is in attendance, then the EGG goes to whichever club came the farthest combined distance (person-miles). A club sending 2 members 170 miles (340 person-miles) would take precedence over a club sending 1 member 300 miles but come behind a club sending 1 member 360 miles.
What happens after the gavel is captured?
Take a picture to commemorate the event.
By the end of the day, the capturing club will fill out the form below and upload the picture.
The Program Quality Director is the Gavel Guardian and will have the website updated. Any and all disputes will be arbitrated by the Gavel Guardian. If you have any questions, please Contact the EGGmaster who will refer all issues as appropriate.
Due to the recent identified issue that the capture story form did not deliver to the current EGG master correctly, we advise you to save a copy of the form prior to the submission. The EGG master will respond to you upon receiving by email. If you do not receive a confirmation within the next 24 hours or so, please email the EGG master along with the form information and picture. We will then update the pages accordingly.