New USA Dance proficiency point system

[Mengu]

It's about being clever and choosing events where you will win.

That would be not-so-clever if you're trying to win the same proficiency level forever, which is all this point system is trying to prevent.

I don't think it's likely for a couple to place 1/8, 2/16, etc. twice in three years by happenstance without a degree of proficiency, just because all the other couples had a bad day and danced worse than them. 8+ couple events, are going to be generally pretty competitive at the top end of the spectrum.

I do however agree that "Proficiency Point" is not a very good name. The mere existence of this name makes 7- couple events somehow less significant, because "Proficiency Points" sound like something people might *want* to gain. I don't have a better name that would be appropriate and publicly acceptable, but I shall think of them as "Sandbagger Points".

 

[Mr 4 styles]

I love that if you don't have 8 you can dance a level until you think it's time to move up. It's about being able to dance as much as possible at each event also

 

[flying_backwards]

..."Proficiency Point" is not a very good name. I shall think of them as "Sandbagger Points".

LOL.

They call it "Fair Level Certification" in the intercollegiate system here, with the clear purpose to push onward those who no longer belong at the level they "point out of". More about fairness to other dancers than acclaim.

To me the word "proficiency" is something you'd get rated with a Medals Exam where you are only judged against criteria, not other dancers. In contrast, competition is judged relative to the other couples so it depends on the field size and strength. The label "proficiency" is ok, as these points will correlate with proficiency. Besides, "Sandbagger Points" lacks alliteration.

Then another kind of points would be ranking or rating. I have not seen rankings for USA Dance like they have for WDSF or like you can look up on dancesportinfo dot net, a complex algorithm. Those ranking points depend on the rankings of who shows up and even where they came from. I am not suggesting USA Dance have rankings (if they do not already), just that ranking points are different from proficiency (aka sandbag) points. With ranking points two couples who never dance in the same event can be compared.

 

[Loki]

True, no alliteration, but I think SBP sounds better than PeePee.

 

[ChaCha1]

True, no alliteration, but I think SBP sounds better than PeePee.