Dancers Aren’t Terrorists!!!

Ok, heightened security is all well and good, but this is just ridiculous…

I'd e-mailed a European couple I know (one of whom is Russian) and one of the things I'd asked was if they were coming to the USDSC next month. Here's an excerpt from the e-mail response I just got back:

response e-mail said:

We got an invitation to US OPEN from Mr. Kimmins (the organizer). They were about to pay for everything. The only thing was a visa for “X”. And??? ............... “X” didn't get it. “X” tried in Warsaw, Moscow, Rome and Milan ....nothing! :-(

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How, in G-d's name, is an invited and sponsored dancesport competitor any type of security risk what so ever? Give me a break!

Hmm..now that's going a little too far.. :roll:

MissAlyssa said:

Hmm..now that's going a little too far.. :roll:

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Only a little too far MissAlyssa? :wink:

Security considerations are all well and good...if only they actually have anything to do with security :!:

SDsalsaguy said:

MissAlyssa said:

Hmm..now that's going a little too far.. :roll:

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Only a little too far MissAlyssa? :wink:

Security considerations are all well and good...if only they actually have anything to do with security :!:

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ok ok how about this much too far _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________> ? lol :lol:

SDsalsaguy said:

Security considerations are all well and good...if only they actually have anything to do with security :!:

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It’s looks more like paranoia or chicane to me

Doesn't necessarily have to be security risk and terrorism.
In many countries visas are declined because of immigration issues. Unless the officer is somehow convinced that you're not gonna stay in US and will come back your visa will be declined. Those rules apply to Russia too, well to all former USSR republics for that matter.
Convincing the embassy clerk can be real difficult, it's much easier for him/her to simply tell you no, then to spend hour or more reading al the documents they ask themselves, etc, etc... Sucks big time, but that's the reason in this case.

You are of course right....but when a competitor has been livng in Europe for years, and can show that their entire trip here is being financed, what's the likelihood that their planning on coming over to compete in order to end up staying? This is just from a common sense frame of reference, let alone a dance one...where rules regarding national representation, etc., clearly dictate that a sponsorship level couple (again, living and teaching in Europe) would not be accepting an invitation to the USDSC in order to saty here.