Results and Placements

fascination said:
I prefer to be disappointed than aim low...and I don't take disappointment lightly... I also have to accept the consequences n when it happens but I do think that in setting very high goals, I usually fare better than i would have if I aimed low...shrug...disappointment happens..it isn't terminal...just acutely uncomfortable for a certain period of time
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I think it's debatable. If you aim very high, beyond what's reasonable, does it really help? For a personal example, I just did OSB. My realistic goal there was making the next cut. It was my 2nd time dancing smooth at the new level. I was dancing against much more experienced ladies and in the largest smooth event I ever danced in. It was completely unreasonable to hope to make a final under the circumstances, heck, it was unrealistic to make the next cut (24 out of 40-something) under the circumstances, but one needs some kind of goal. I had somewhat better chances with standard, since I've been dancing that level longer, but still I am nowhere near where I have to be to make the finals in it, but I was very close to making the next cut last year and was hoping to make it this year. I haven't accomplished it this time. Would I have fared better if I aimed for the final as opposed to just getting out of the first round? I simply don't know.
 
Well sure, regardless of just how much one intends to strech with one's goals, I think one has to keep the context in mind. For example, I like to go into comps with three goals:

- A minimum goal. This is typically a goal I feel pretty good about my ability to meet. To be honest, I tend to take my marks more seriously than I've been expressedly told that I should, so this one is sort of a safety net to manage my potential disappointment.
- A regular goal. This is one I feel like I could realistically make, but would still be a genuine accomplishment to achieve.
- A stretch goal. I walk away from the comp on Cloud 9 if I meet this one.

Now, for example, I'm going to be dancing silver for the first time ever at Starz next month. (Well, not counting the "I'll dance my bronze routines in silver because, why not?" in the USA Dance comps I've done.) As such, my goals are going to be:

- Receive at least one non-last place mark in my scholarship
- Beat someone in my scholarship
- Finish 3rd in my scholarship (I can state fairly unequivocably that I'm not finishing any higher than that based on who I know will be there)

On the other hand, if I were still dancing bronze, it'd look more like make the finals/make the top three/win. Context is important. While I disagree with some of the people I've known in that I think that disappointment can be a good thing (if you channel it into improvement), there's a certain point where one would just be setting themselves up for failure. And that strikes me as less of a good thing.
 
tanya_the_dancer said:
I think it's debatable. If you aim very high, beyond what's reasonable, does it really help? For a personal example, I just did OSB. My realistic goal there was making the next cut. It was my 2nd time dancing smooth at the new level. I was dancing against much more experienced ladies and in the largest smooth event I ever danced in. It was completely unreasonable to hope to make a final under the circumstances, heck, it was unrealistic to make the next cut (24 out of 40-something) under the circumstances, but one needs some kind of goal. I had somewhat better chances with standard, since I've been dancing that level longer, but still I am nowhere near where I have to be to make the finals in it, but I was very close to making the next cut last year and was hoping to make it this year. I haven't accomplished it this time. Would I have fared better if I aimed for the final as opposed to just getting out of the first round? I simply don't know.
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I think there is a big difference between aiming high relative to one's capacity and aiming for the moon without a rocket...KWIM?
 
debmc said:
[...]hear how dancers detach from the outcome of a competition... or if they are even able to do so...
How do you feel about results/placements?
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I work hard for my comps and in my dancing, I put in an ungodly amount of time in the studio and it's ridiculously expensive to boot. Given all that, I know there will be some disappointment if placements don't go my way. However, it is something I have come to expect and mentally prepare for. I remind myself that there are factors I cannot control in competitions, so the best thing I can do is concentrate on what I can control - my own dancing!!

And I always know, I learn far more and can be much more motivated to improve if I "lose" at a comp than win. The trick is to - as you said debmc - have other goals based on what you CAN control to track your progress, and then to know how to quickly move on from disappointment and back to the process of improving without letting your confidence take a hit.
 
fascination said:
agree...but I think having a support system also make s a huge difference in the capacity to sustain that frame of mind
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So true, if you're lucky enough to have people around you that support you and remind you of the good things about your dancing during the disappointing times, it is much easier.

Even better? To have your pro participate in the process of goal setting (and evaluation on other factors than just placement) if they are enlightened and willing.

Pro-am, over the years I have been competing, has dramatically increased in quality and the level of skill in the competitions. You will find many good dancers being left in the semi final rounds at the larger comps now. The quality at these comps speaks well to the diligence of the students and the pros that teach them. Given that, pro-am students need to develop some of the mindsets and attitudes that the pro and am competitors have developed over the years to remain motivated and progressing when there is less chance of "winning".

Though some pros may not yet understand it as an advantageous thing to develop in their students, they can become a big part in helping a student learn to navigate the disappointment and get back quickly to productive progress and work. It's just one more thing to migrate over from their pro partnerships to part of the experience of pro-am. It's part of the process and good business to boot.
 
latingal said:
Even better? To have your pro participate in the process of goal setting (and evaluation on other factors than just placement) if they are enlightened and willing.

Pro-am, over the years I have been competing, has dramatically increased in quality and the level of skill in the competitions. You will find many good dancers being left in the semi final rounds at the larger comps now. The quality at these comps speaks well to the diligence of the students and the pros that teach them. Given that, pro-am students need to develop some of the mindsets and attitudes that the pro and am competitors have developed over the years to remain motivated and progressing when there is less chance of "winning".

Though some pros may not yet understand it as an advantageous thing to develop in their students, they can become a big part in helping a student learn to navigate the disappointment and get back quickly to productive progress and work. It's just one more thing to migrate over from their pro partnerships to part of the experience of pro-am. It's part of the process and good business to boot.
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Completely agree. It is not just about learning how to dance well anymore, it is a total package of dance, performance, presentation, look, attitude and how to navigate all the various competition situations that present themselves.
 
I think it has always been about all those things...but the field is definitely getting stronger and that is awesome...


as to how to navigate it...my pro is a man of few words...so I can't really look to him for much on this front...I can count on him to work me hard but he is not going to share much of a philosophy or perspective on how to handle defeat .....frankly, I am not sure he has one :)...that being said, I have a general rule about not making decisions within close proximity to what has felt like a bruising...and I often take a break if I know that I am in that space...because I have almost no one locally with whom I could discuss those sorts of struggles...I also think I intellectually know most of what I need to know about how to recover...it is just a matter of the hard work of getting there...sometimes it is a light graze and it easy to brush off...sometimes, it takes longer....
 
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