Results and Placements

D

debmc

Forum Master
Conventional wisdom is not to get attached to results and placements, yet I see all of us at times get dissapointed when we don't get the official placements we were hoping for. I thought it might be interesting to 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?
 
I posted this elsewhere, but fits perfectly here. 'Good results don't make you a good dancer, dancing well makes you a good dancer'. I would certainly like to do well, but even when I do worse than I would have liked I just appreciate all the things around it.
- Did you enjoy the day? Hopefully you enjoy the dancing and competing, regardless of results.
- Did you actually do as bad as it looks? At larger competitions, even getting through one round can put you around the top 50% mark.
- What can you take away? Hopefully you or your partner/pro has ideas on how to improve, this makes it exciting to look forward to the next competition. If one dance let you down, you know you can work on that. Did you fluff your steps? You can work on that. Did you tire? Was your stamina not up to scratch? You can work on it.

And remember, you've likely got many more decades of dancing to be able to do!
 
I agree. I am now setting goals for each competition that are not related to placements, but are related more to what I hope to do in dance....whatever it is that I might be working on at the time. To have longevity in this field, as a good friend told me, you have to have other markings of success outside of how you place.
 
You can be disappointed with your marks without letting it ruin your day, or letting it define your dancing. It's ok to be a little disappointed. Just understand that marks aren't always a perfect representation of your dancing - and even when they are, that's not all there is to dancing.
 
If I prevented my partner from catching a ronde-kick-swivel-attack, gave 100% every time I was on the floor, and have her smiling at the end of the day, it's been another successful day. :) We talk each other through things to focus on as we're warming up for a round, and then go over what did/didn't go well after we come off. So we usually have a good idea how we're doing in terms of our own performance - we generally know if we haven't done enough to make the next round. We don't really pay any attention to the other couples dancing unless they're our friends or doing something we appreciate/enjoy, in which case we support them. I guess that keeps us pretty detached from/prepared for the end result.

Like you said, it's good to set specific goals for each comp. That way you can track your own development and progress. And if the judges smile upon you that day, then so much the better, and if not, just think how much of a hassle it is finding space for all of your medals/silverware ;)
 
I agree. I am now setting goals for each competition that are not related to placements, but are related more to what I hope to do in dance....whatever it is that I might be working on at the time. To have longevity in this field, as a good friend told me, you have to have other markings of success outside of how you place.
Click to expand...

read Dancing to your Maximum it goes into this in helpful detail
 
I work too hard not to be disappointed...but, my capacity to react privately rather than publically has improved and the amount of time it takes me to bounce back is usually less unless there is alot of it in a concentrated period...there are alot of variables...it also depends upon how it is going with those around me and uponwhat else is going on in life...
 
I think it's important to have realistic expectations. If you don't expect to get from the first round all the way to the final, then you won't be disappointed that you didn't.
 
I prefer to be disappointed than aim low...and I don't take disappointment lightly... I also have to accept the consequences 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
 
as to other goals...I do think one of the good things about having made it to a certain level of proficiency is that I can see how I look compared to others now...I do also have some idea of where I am going to fall in the placements...I know when odds are and are not in my favor...and I know perfectly well when I have danced my best and when I have not...and when I have danced my best I am always okay with how it went because I know then that there was not a thing I could have done to change the result ...I do always have an intention about what I hope to be doing when I am on the floor and I do evaluate whether or not that happened...
 
There's always the issue of how you think you did, and how your results came out. There's four possibilities:

1. You think you did well, and your results reflect it. Par-tay!
2. You think you did well, but your results do not reflect it. Stuff happens sometimes, it's a subjectively judged sport, and results are not always consistent. But if it becomes a pattern, you'd better re-evaluate your dancing.
3. You think you did poorly, and the results reflect it. Well, at least you had fun, got to chat with people, maybe met some new friends, and hopefully the buffet was decent. Work with your instructor and your partner, figure out where you need to improve, and better luck next time.
4. You think you did poorly, but your results are good. This is a tough one. Maybe you just got lucky this week. But has this become a pattern? Maybe you're not giving yourself enough credit. Maybe you're spending too much time worrying about stuff that doesn't matter. Or maybe you need to look for tougher competition so you can get a better read on how well you are actually dancing.
 
cornutt said:
There's always the issue of how you think you did, and how your results came out. There's four possibilities:

1. You think you did well, and your results reflect it. Par-tay!
2. You think you did well, but your results do not reflect it. Stuff happens sometimes, it's a subjectively judged sport, and results are not always consistent. But if it becomes a pattern, you'd better re-evaluate your dancing.
3. You think you did poorly, and the results reflect it. Well, at least you had fun, got to chat with people, maybe met some new friends, and hopefully the buffet was decent. Work with your instructor and your partner, figure out where you need to improve, and better luck next time.
4. You think you did poorly, but your results are good. This is a tough one. Maybe you just got lucky this week. But has this become a pattern? Maybe you're not giving yourself enough credit. Maybe you're spending too much time worrying about stuff that doesn't matter. Or maybe you need to look for tougher competition so you can get a better read on how well you are actually dancing.
Click to expand...

This is a great summary! My last comp had a combination of all four amongst all the events I danced. There are always so many mitigating factors -- are you giving every round your A game or are you getting tired as the day goes on? Who is the judging panel and are you doing things that they'll like or not like? How tough is the field you're up against? So many factors.
 
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