2021 competition opportunities

[Warren J. Dew]

I think if you are going to compete in a live comp, worrying about safety of the banquet is splitting hairs.

I think it depends on masking rules. In the data I've seen, having gone to a restaurant is one of the few things that is a statistically significant predictor of having covid. More interestingly, the difference between going to a restaurant where most people didn't mask and distance and a restaurant where people wore masks and distanced was substantially larger than the effect of going to a restaurant in the first place.

If masks were required at competition events but not at the banquet, I might not go to the banquet myself, and I'm pretty tolerant of covid risk.

 

[scullystwin42]

Yes, closed.

Yes, then only Tuesday. if you look at the registration form for the national pro/am multi entries, it notes that closed bronze will be danced on tuesday.

 

[scullystwin42]

People have different levels of risk assessment. There are dancers who haven’t taken in-person lessons since last March and are judging those that are.

I think if you are going to compete in a live comp, worrying about safety of the banquet is splitting hairs.

I dunno, i think it can be different - you can wear a mask through the competition, while dancing, and in the ballroom. If you're eating at a banquet, not so much.

 

[jjLA]

I asked him if he will be required to quarantine when he gets back, and he said he doesn’t know (but I got the impression the answer is no). Sigh. I’m already going to miss out on lessons with him the week he’s gone, and then I also have to decide whether or not to take lessons with him for 10 days after he returns.

In SoCal some conscientious pro's I know are quarantining for a couple of days after a comp (which also involves flying since all comps are cancelled in CA/NV) and getting a PCR covid test (i.e. the more accurate one) before teaching again. They wait 4 or 5 days before getting a test to give the virus some time to incubate should they have gotten it. They are usually teaching again within a week of the comp. With the Covid outbreak that occurred in Florida at South Open Dancesport, one pro I know got tested twice (both negative) and quarantined for 10 days. You'll need to evaluate how safe your pro is being.

I know also of students / competitors who have used the same approach. The same conscientious pros require their students to get tested in the same way or quarantine for 14 days. Hence, that might be something to consider for yourself in addition to avoiding older family members until you know for sure you have not been infected.

 

[wahoo_foxtrot]

I wouldn't judge the physician's choice. At least, I would assume s/he is more informed. Unless the person goes out of his/her way to encourage large gatherings... which I guess probably isn't the case...

I am not a big fan of those dinners either... usually, the food is terrible... The plus side is I did have very good breakfasts in those packages

 

[lucia_l]

worddancer,
To me, competing is worth assuming some risk to myself. Attending a banquet not worth assuming any additional risk to myself. This is largely because while I enjoy banquets relative to sitting by myself in my room eating, I don't enjoy banquet all that much. I don't go to ballroom dance competitions for the banquet. It's just an add on.

I'm not judging anyone else for what they do. I'm just making risk/reward judgements for myself.

 

[bry_dancer]

With the Covid outbreak that occurred in Florida at South Open Dancesport, one pro I know got tested twice (both negative) and quarantined for 10 days. You'll need to evaluate how safe your pro is being.

Was there a known Covid outbreak at that event? I attended it and haven't heard anything besides the fact that one pro that sat at our table periodically did get covid. I would love to see actual data from a comp to know the level of risk (good or bad). I was masked the whole time but was in the minority there.

 

[singndance]

Was there a known Covid outbreak at that event? I attended it and haven't heard anything besides the fact that one pro that sat at our table periodically did get covid. I would love to see actual data from a comp to know the level of risk (good or bad). I was masked the whole time but was in the minority there.

There were a few posts on Facebook that I saw, three people at that event posting that they tested positive after returning home. The posts were removed within a day or so. I don’t know about any others. I attended one of the evening events, and after I saw the posts, got tested. Definitely agree that masks were not in the majority for the time I was in the ballroom. Thankfully I avoided talking to anyone and lurked in the back of the ballroom.

 

[jjLA]

Was there a known Covid outbreak at that event? I attended it and haven't heard anything besides the fact that one pro that sat at our table periodically did get covid. I would love to see actual data from a comp to know the level of risk (good or bad). I was masked the whole time but was in the minority there.

It seems to me this information is not generally forthcoming. I know of no one who got it. In talking with a studio owner, he quarantined the teacher and students who went to the comp telling me their was an outbreak. A spouse of a professional who went also corroborated that there was an outbreak and she had to quarantine with her husband who had attended. Maybe something went out through a teacher only channel or maybe comps have some sort of contact tracing thus only informing those who were in the ballroom at the same time as the infected person. Obviously, it's not something comps will want made public. I just happened that I knew someone. Stay safe!

 

[wahoo_foxtrot]

Even if I ask my studio to a la carte I doubt I will save much... or at all... A smart studio manager can give me a price list like (a made-up example):
- $6k dance dance dance + food food food
- $5.9k dance dance dance
and reframe the first one as a special discount...

business has been doing bundling for ages... like
- highspeed internet + cable ($80/m)
- highspeed internet ($70/m)
- cable ($70/m)...

so... there is not really much we can choose hahahahah

 

[scullystwin42]

It seems to me this information is not generally forthcoming. I know of no one who got it. In talking with a studio owner, he quarantined the teacher and students who went to the comp telling me their was an outbreak. A spouse of a professional who went also corroborated that there was an outbreak and she had to quarantine with her husband who had attended. Maybe something went out through a teacher only channel or maybe comps have some sort of contact tracing thus only informing those who were in the ballroom at the same time as the infected person. Obviously, it's not something comps will want made public. I just happened that I knew someone. Stay safe!

well that news makes me very wary of doing any more in-person comps. especially if they weren't enforcing masks. They should take responsibility and share if people were exposed.

 

[scullystwin42]

Depends on what you mean by responsibility. If they followed the guidelines and mandates of the county and state where the comp took place they are not legally responsible for anything.

You’re absolutely right. I think I jumped to a knee-jerk conclusion based on anecdotal evidence. One post here does not mean they were trying to sweep it under the rug. I take back my accusatory tone.

 

[snapdancer]

At these in-person comps is it not possible for a pro and his students bubble up and maintain 6 ft of distance from everyone else?

 

[worddancer]

At these in-person comps is it not possible for a pro and his students bubble up and maintain 6 ft of distance from everyone else?

As someone who has been to an in-person comp, this is wishful thinking. People have such strong convictions and when they show up, it's hard to stay 6 feet apart the entire time.

Even people I know who are medical professionals, people married to vulnerable folks, they want to be super safe, declare loudly how safe they want to be. I watch them, and I see them slowly slip up from their declarations. It's like putting people in a situation where there are temptations at every corner.

 

[jjLA]

You’re absolutely right. I think I jumped to a knee-jerk conclusion based on anecdotal evidence. One post here does not mean they were trying to sweep it under the rug. I take back my accusatory tone.

I didn't mean for my comment to be accusatory either. I'm sure comps are doing everything they can to follow local guidelines for which there may also be different reporting requirements.

CA has requirements for employers to report known cases (without identifying the person) to employees and any contractors who may have been on-site. Large gatherings are banned, so there is nothing equivalent to apply to something like a competition.

In any case, my original point is that after going to comps outside of CA, there are teachers / competitors who choose to quarantine and get tested to make sure they are safe and not a vector to transmit to others especially their older clients.