NDCA registration to be required for Pro/Am students

Sounds to me like the rule Larinda quoted above is for something like organizers who want a (presumably wealthy) pro/am student to sponsor (i.e. fund) something like a scholarship at their comp.
 
Spookisgirl said:
My biggest issue with this is the idea that pros can register students and there is nothing that says students have to even know about it. But perhaps this is the beginning of treating students like adults who are responsible for their own dancing.....
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This. I am 100% in favor of the "treating students like adults who are responsible for their own dancing", but options (b) and (c) below still keep the door open for the paternalistic treatment that is still present to a great degree. I have it on my to-do list to make sure my pro understands that I will be going with option (a) (there's no reliable "studio address" he could use, since he's already on his second studio in about a year's time). I realize that scholarship checks are treated the same way, and I confess I raised an eyebrow the first time I had to check one of those boxes. In any case, there will need to be some sort of mechanism in place so that students don't find themselves in a bind if they change instructors/studios. Unless that is the goal, to enable pros/studios to keep a leash on their students if they so desire.

RiseNFall said:
The new Pro-Am Competitors License may be obtained in one of three ways:
a. Dancers may register directly with the NDCA
b. Dancers may be registered by their teacher who would submit the dancers name with the teacher's address, etc as the contact point.
c. Dancers may be registered by their studio which would submit the dancers name and the studio address, etc as the contact point.
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IndyLady said:
This. but options (b) and (c) below still keep the door open for the paternalistic treatment that is still present to a great degree.
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While I will be registering myself with my own address, I know pro-am students who will be more than happy to leave it to the studio--and it will be a smoother process to leave it to the studio with some of them.

I have been given scholarship checks outright--it didn't go through the studio. Must be competition dependent.
 
IndyLady,
I do see your point about the rules potentially being used by a studio or teacher to keep a leash on the student. On the other hand, when I was in college and grad school, my address changed frequently. If I had been pro-am I might very well prefer the contact point to be my studio or teacher.

Even now at the age of 59, when getting ready to enter, I don't mind the studio doing all the paperwork including a registration. They show it to me, I read it over and sign. I"m fine with that.

As long as the system permits the Pro-Am student to go in and change their contact address or teacher name, I don't see a down side to letting the teacher or studio fill out the registration. If on the other hand, the student is barred from changing the contact or teacher, that's a problem. I like my teacher and studio. But if, tomorrow, for some reason, I suddenly needed to change, I would like to be allowed to change the registration. But I have no problem with them filling it out in the first place.
 
RiseNFall said:
I have been given scholarship checks outright--it didn't go through the studio. Must be competition dependent.
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I've always received them outright as well - the comps I have been to actually give you a choice. I was initially surprised that other choice even existed.

lucia_l said:
As long as the system permits the Pro-Am student to go in and change their contact address or teacher name, I don't see a down side to letting the teacher or studio fill out the registration. If on the other hand, the student is barred from changing the contact or teacher, that's a problem. I like my teacher and studio. But if, tomorrow, for some reason, I suddenly needed to change, I would like to be allowed to change the registration. But I have no problem with them filling it out in the first place.
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I can understand that there are students who are fine with pro handling it, not unlike having your agent handle certain aspects of your insurance policy. This is what I was getting at, was the ability of the student to have some control over their registration. It's not clear to me the way the rules are written, but I also think the student should know that they are being registered (i.e. registration form requires their signature) and it shouldn't be something the pro/studio can do behind their back w/o their knowledge.

lucia_l said:
If I win anything, it's all going to be spent at the studio anyway. :)
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Actually, that is the expectation, which is why there is an easy option to funnel the proceeds straight to the studio. The forms I signed to receive my check had statements to that effect (must be used for dance education). Also, I had to provide my SSN in order to have the check made out to me - above a certain amount and I think it has to be reported to the IRS and/or becomes taxable income (I don't know the threshold or other exact details and IANATA, but consider it an FYI).
 
Larinda McRaven said:
Here is the rule.

Any organizer, competitor, or any other individual seeking to obtain sponsorship from any student, must contact the student's studio owner, or in the absence of a studio, the student's teacher.
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I once sponsored a scholarship at a competition. I dealt with the competition's owners directly. I did not want my name in the program, nor to present the check. I made the sponsorship in the name of a friend, a dancer who had recently died. If I'd had to deal with an extra level of bureaucracy, I might not have done it -- but that's me; I loathe bureaucracy. The PASD registration sticks in my craw. I see an added level of paperwork that will not benefit me in the slightest, as I only compete 4-5 times a year for the fun of it, and don't give a damn about rankings.
 
Reading the rule, it only says "contact"-- which suggest perhaps, only the initial attempt to solicit money needs to go through the studio. After that, the student can deal directily with the person they are giving money to. The rule also doesn't say a student can't contact the organizer, competitor or other individual directly.

I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know if "contact" is as limited as I read it. But that's how I interpret that word.
 
I also prefer to deal with the organizer directly if I'm sponsoring (which I've done a few times). But I think the rule is there so the organizers don't hound student sponsors for donations directly. There is no rule that says a student can't contact an organizer. Though doesn't matter to me now, I'm not sponsoring anything any more, after handing a check to an open level dancer for a silver scholarship.
 
I might also bring up that the $25 especially impacts the people who already struggle to afford to compete. Probably somebody somewhere will decide not to enter their first competition, as it was already going to be expensive for them. It might be said that this is one more step in the direction of Pro-Am being a sporting club for the wealthy.

But actually, I can understand having a registration required for all athletes with a small processing fee.
 
Joe said:
$25 making a difference in struggling to afford to compete isn't exactly the same as $25 making a difference in struggling to do something like feed yourself, though.
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Agreed.

Having said this, it will be interesting to see how long the annual fee remains $25 or if it turns out to be the introductory offer. We may have to return to this discussion in the future if it starts to creep up to, say, $100 or more.
 
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