Bouncing back from a disasterous competition

[samina]

nice to hear, elise!

[cornutt]

I thought he was too sick to dance but he insisted so we did.  I just wish we had not, it was not a positive result.  We came 4/4 in the senior I pre-champ and 7/7 in the senior II 0- and thats after making the finals in the former and winning the latter two weeks earlier at the classique. 

Sorry to hear this.  You're never going to dance your absolute best when your partner is not up to it physically.  But when you've made the trip and paid your fees, it's really hard to walk away from your entries.  Everybody likes to demonstrate that they can perform under adverse circumstances. 

Now I'm worried that despite the conditions it will affect our standings and our future dancing due to a blow to confidence.  I know I should not, but the feeling is there both because of the result and because we never do as well here.

As far as the rankings go: At the moment, it is what it is.  You obviously can't go back and change the past.  The thing you have to think about is what you're going to do about it in the future.  It's like getting a paper rejected in peer review: You get the reviewers' comments, you go off and fix them, and you re-submit.  (After you've sulked for an hour or so.  )  Did you get some comments from the judges?

As far as the confidence thing: In my most humble opinion, you are at the moment focusing a bit too much on the externalities.  Ultimately, your dancing is less about what the judges think than it is about you and your partner, the music, and the connection between you.  You need to get back to that mind-set.  When he's feeling better, go down to the studio and run through your routines a few times.  Not for the purpose of critiquing, but simply to dance.  You can get back to fixing and improving and practicing once you've re-connected with the feeling of the dance itself.  I think that's what you're missing right now.

[cornutt]

how dare i diminish the importance of someone's pain!

Nah.  Pain sucks.  Diminish it all you want.   

[samina]

how dare i diminish the importance of someone's pain!

Nah.  Pain sucks.  Diminish it all you want.   

LOL, luv it. permission to be a human Advil. every dancer's dream.

[cornutt]

how dare i diminish the importance of someone's pain!

Nah.  Pain sucks.  Diminish it all you want.   

LOL, luv it. permission to be a human Advil. every dancer's dream.

You got it.  In fact, you have my permission to be a human Oxycontin!   

[elisedance]

Wow, I must be a royal pain to warrant such measures

[Rugby]

I have a tendancy to look at the things we have improved on.  I look at the glass half full where as my partner looks at it half empty. 

We are in Pre-Champ working on the difficult moves, lines and syncopated timings so that we will have them ready "for" Championship rather than waiting to learn them "in" Championship.  We both believe that this is the purpose of Pre-Champ, to take the risk now for the pay off later.  This is the "Ugly Duckling" phase but it can be difficult to work through and the temptation to go with easier or safer choreo and moves is tempting.  It can also be very hard on your confidence, as my partner finds, but I have gone this route before and know that you have to fall many times before you learn to keep your legs under you so that you can run like the wind.  If you always use canes or hold the railing and are afraid of taking the risk for fear of falling you will also ever experience the thrill of the run with the wind in your hair.

My partner has a harder time dealing with the "Ugly Duckling" phase but I know it is an important means to an end so don't get as upset as he does.  I don't think of a bad result as defining me as a dancer.  It is only the result for that moment on that day where there are so many variables in play that they can cause marks to come or go.  If everything lines up you can win, if a few of the blocks fall out of place you lose.  It can turn around and the next week there are completely different results.  We are all climbing staircases to the top floor.  One week our competitors are moving upwards, climbing the stairs and we are stuck on the landing.  The next week we are moving upward and they are on the landing.

[QPO]

It s good that you can be so reflective. After all dancing is a journey..and it has good bits and bad bits....we are all going to have more minor places or none than wins. And if you know that just go out and enjoy....at least you got on the floor to be judged.

[elisedance]

Oh good!  Then we should be due for the attic next time up

[QPO]

Oh good!  Then we should be due for the attic next time up

I think you are hard on yourself in general...just enjoy...you put a lot of effort into it.

[elisedance]

Oh good!  Then we should be due for the attic next time up

I think you are hard on yourself in general...just enjoy...you put a lot of effort into it.

Hey - that WAS a positive statement - attic, not basement, itsat the top of the house

[QPO]

ok a local thing then...was not sure 

[Some guy]

That is one of the hardest parts Rugby.  When you're sitting on the floor tying on your roller-blades, the others are jogging past you in running shoes.  However, when you get back up, you can catch up to them a lot faster and a lot easier.  Then they'll have to stop and put on roller-blades if they want to have any hope of catching up with you. However, still, you'll be far ahead of them and catching up to you might not be possible.  That's why it's important to bite the bullet and learn things correctly as early as possible.

[elisedance]

What this whole experience has done is to make me look much deeper into my dancing to see what else might be up, why in particular we are so variable.  One thing that has changed is that I'm only dancing with DP now so I don't get the weekly kick-into-shape with pro.  I think that means I have to get more disciplined about how I prepare and how I maintain my standards. ...

[samina]

 One thing that has changed is that I'm only dancing with DP now so I don't get the weekly kick-into-shape with pro.  I think that means I have to get more disciplined about how I prepare and how I maintain my standards. ...

aaaahh... so you did indeed drop the pro-am for now. i know you were considering it, but i musta missed the thread with the announcement. i often just pick out the recent dance-related threads and miss chit-chat...

that's a big change! i think you're right... probly calls for a new training approach. but how exciting!