Two

Indiana Challenge - Friday

My alarm was set for 4:45 AM, but I woke up in full panic at 4:30 AM. I got up and got in the shower. Then started the process of make-up, fake eye-lashes, and getting dressed (which involves way more than you could ever want to know). Fortunately, my friend Shawn had agreed to do my hair in a style we had seen the night before once I got to the Radisson.

I finished getting ready and left the house at 6:50. A whole twenty minutes later than I had intended. Glad I woke up early. I got to the Radisson at 7:10 AM and headed straight to the ballroom. I set down my bags and got my hair stuff out for Shawn to do it. Tim showed up and warmed up with Debbie. Shawn finished my hair and Tim took me out on the floor to warm up. They cleared the ballroom and we all re-entered with our tickets. More warm up. My warm up was sloppy and I tried not to panic.

My first three heats came and went in the Bronze 1 Category. This is the level right about very very very beginner. Cha-Cha, Rumba, East-Coast Swing. I followed well and I was really into the Swing. We finished and went off the floor. The posted the call backs. I was not called. I was a little perplexed and my confidence was crushed. I thought I had danced really well.

My next heat was coming up. Bolero - Bronze 1. We headed out to the floor, but for some reason we weren't sure whether it was my heat or not. They were skipping around in the order a lot. We stopped and asked the person in charge of the bull pin which heat they were on. They said heat 143. I was heat 153. We walked back off the floor. As it turned out, that was in fact my heat. I missed it. The entire weekend, they counted the numbers of couples on the floor and called the number of missing couples, but not my heat. Nope, they didn't wait for us.

Next two heats. Salsa and West Coast Swing. I had one other person competing against me in the Salsa and it was just me for the West Coast Swing. I was kinda bummed to not have any competition on my West Coast because I believe it is my best dance. I did my salsa and west coast and headed off the floor.

First awards ceremony. I didn't place in my first three dances. No surprise because I didn't make call backs, but I was feeling like I was a terrible dancer. I, of course, didn't place for my bolero because I didn't dance. I got a second out of two for the Salsa and a First out of just me for my West Coast. Basically participation awards. Although I found out later that they are supposed to actually grade you still and give you an estimated placement.

We watched the dances until my next heats and noticed a lot of people were doing illegal moves that were above the level they were competing at. I was frustrated. Tim and I dumbed down the stuff that we normally do, so that we would be in the level I was competing. You are supposed to be docked points for dancing out of the category.

At this point I was really bummed and didn't want to go out again. I would now be dancing all the same dances at a higher level against better dancers. I knew I would not placed so I was determined to just have fun and try to get into the music. So same first three dances and didn't make call backs. Big surprise. The callbacks were the heats right before my bolero. So as I headed out for my bolero, all of the same girls who had smoked me in the first three were already out. I was distraught. Tim saw it and tried to boost my confidence. It was during this dance I made my one mistake for the entire weekend. I didn't follow on one cross-over break. I wasnt too upset by that because I knew I would not have placed anyway.

Then I had an uncontested Salsa and West Coast. At this point I figured that since I was uncontested that Tim and I could have some fun so at my request he threw in two or three illegal moves in. I was pleased.

Awards ceremony. I didn't place in my first four dances and got a First in my Salsa and West Coast because it was just me competing. I was bummed and really really done dancing for the day, but Tim had signed me up for a compulsory event which he didn't tell me about until the day of the competition. I would be dancing cha-cha and rumba and you are only allowed to do five different figures this is to test technique. As I write this, it occurs to me that this is a big complement from him that he believed my technique was that up to par. I was uncontested again for this heat so I took a First again in the awards ceremony.

I watched a few more events and then went up to my hotel room to change into pants for a few hours.

Friday Night was pleasant. I had to be in a gown for about six hours, but the dancing was amazing. We had a buffet dinner and then watched a professional showdance competition in which my absolute favorite professional competed and won. Then I watched some of the Latin events that my friends were competing and headed upstairs to try to get some sleep.

I had just fallen asleep and my roommates came in and woke me up. They fell asleep within five minutes, but I was up for another two hours. I was not happy. I fell asleep around 2:30 AM


During Friday night, Tim looked through the program book to research the girls I competed against. He looked at one name in particular. We discovered that she competed in Open Silver. Ballroom dance competition is supposed to be leveled. Starts with newcomer. Then bronze 1, bronze 2, full bronze, closed bronze, open bronze, silver 1, silver 2, closed silver, open silver, and open gold. Then you move into getting to the process of becoming a professional competitor. So, this girl competed in newcomer on up to open silver in three different age levels, which means she wiped out a ton of people. Not fair and not cool in something that is supposed to be a "gentleman's sport." I felt a little better knowing that the reason I didn't place was because I was competing against a bunch of girls who were way way way above my level.