What would you need to know before entering a comp.?

[Egorich]

Hey everyone,
Relatively new to the forum, but have been dancing for a while.
I have a very broad question for everybody:
If you have decided to go to a competition, you haven't been to before. And, that competition is being organized in a different state/country. You checked the website, location, entry forms, schedule, etc. all the most valuable points. But, still left wondering for more information: "Is it really worth going to?"
-What additional points will help you decide to go?

 

[dlliba10]

Size of the competition in your particular styles, and cost. The former is easier to check through comps run with zsconcepts or o2cm, but it's nice to know if you'll have a sizable field to dance against (or not, if that's what your concern is). Also, will the cost of getting there and registering be less or greater than the benefit of the possible achievement of your competition goal(s), whatever it (they) may be (make the final, top 3, win, get new routines on the floor, etc.)?

For example, if I want to compete against a lot of people and make the top 3, and the competition only has one other couple registered near the time registration closes, it might not be worth the time and energy for me to go.

 

[JudeMorrigan]

My criteria, roughly in order of importance

1. Geographic convience. If a comp isn't within (my fairly generous definition of) driving distance, it's a *huge* minus. I'd need a seriously good reason to want to do a competition further out than that.

2. Schedule convenience, in terms of dance schedule as well as work/school (for my am partner) schedule. In the former case, it just doens't make sense for us to do competitions that are too close together given our level of dancing and financial constraints. In the latter case, well, neither of us are ever going to be professional dancers. If I have a work conflict, that has to take priority.

That's not all bad though. My am partner and I were wanting to get a fall competition in. We were debating between Carolina and Chicago. I was in favor of Carolina while she was hoping for Chicago. I had a work conflict come up that would have interfered with us going to Carolina, so I cheerfully acquiesced to her preference. And quite aside from keeping my partner happy (a noble goal in and of itself), *wow* would I be in a blind panic if I had a comp coming up that soon given my recent knee troubles.

3. Strength of field in my events. Once I work out which competitions I'm *capable* of doing, this is easily what matters most to me. Given that I can't afford to compete all that often, very lightly contested fields vex me. Good or bad, I prefer my marks to *mean* something.

4. Location. This is more a thing for my am partner than it is for me, but it's nice using dance competitions to travel somewhere you've never been before. At least, in theory. I've learned that the inside of one ballroom looks much like the other, and how much else does one really get a chance to see during comps? ;-)

 

[llamasarefuzzy]

We were debating between Carolina and Chicago. I was in favor of Carolina while she was hoping for Chicago. I had a work conflict come up that would have interfered with us going to Carolina, so I cheerfully acquiesced to her preference. And quite aside from keeping my partner happy (a noble goal in and of itself), *wow* would I be in a blind panic if I had a comp coming up that soon given my recent knee troubles.

I'll see you there!!!

 

[fascination]

criteria for me that are a plus: I like a comp that doesn't try to force me to buy every single session ticket...so I don't like split sessions for singles and multi's of any style...like many, certain panels for me are a suicide mission, I don't feel particularly inclined to pay for that anymore...I like a place with good restuarants in the vicinity as I rarely want to eat food on package...I don't like hotels with little natural lighting...a huge pet peeve that I have with the Swan for usdc...I do prefer a venue where the hotel is lovely and/or the surrounding area has some redeeming qualities...if I have been to a comp and I know that they have split the floor for gold and open events in standard and smooth, I would rather skip that as I don't get to dance the way that I can/want to dance in those circumstances...I also won't return to comps that blatantly shorten their heats (all their heats) by A LOT...I get that some of that has to happen...but I pay too much for that throughout the entire comp...I like comps that give credit dollars for the next year...I don't like comps that make you have to attend more than one to get scholarship money, even though I love other things about TC, like their venues, I don't care for that...will think more on this

 

[dancelvr]

4. Location. This is more a thing for my am partner than it is for me, but it's nice using dance competitions to travel somewhere you've never been before. At least, in theory. I've learned that the inside of one ballroom looks much like the other, and how much else does one really get a chance to see during comps? ;-)

I enjoy going to places I've never been before. However, if I mention to my friends that I just came back from....oh......say a San Francisco comp, they always ask....what did you see in SF? I tell them......the inside of the hotel.

That being said, I consider cost, location (further than a 3 hour flight = highly doubtful) and competition in my style and age category when I look at any particular comp.

I also put special emphasis on comps where my DP is competing with his partner. Having the opportunity to watch them compete is always like the cherry on top of the sundae. It makes the trip a two-fer!

 

[Egorich]

Thanks so much for the responses, you guys. But what do you think about general dances? How many per evening should there be? I know Triple Crown does a lot of them, but the event is dragged through at least 4-5 days.

 

[fascination]

not all TC events are 4 or 5 days...are they?...that has not been my experience...at to general dances: I have no interest in that at all

 

[dancelvr]

General dancing matters to me not at all. It's more like an annoying delay.

 

[Egorich]

not all TC events are 4 or 5 days...are they?...that has not been my experience...at to general dances: I have no interest in that at all

General dancing matters to me not at all. It's more like an annoying delay.

You guys don't like warming up and trying out the floor? We find it so helpful before our Pro categories. But, I guess if you have been dancing since 8am, you definitely want to get it over with already

 

[fascination]

I do like to warm up and try out the floor...but that is not what I would have equated with general dancing....I do appreciate a practice room (that isn't a million miles away )...and I am even happier if I am lucky enough that there is some small window of time to practice on the real dance floor before I dance...what I was responding to was simply the notion of lots of general dancing for everyone being interspersed here and there..because I usually travel alone and my pro social dances with no one at a comp

 

[dancelvr]

You guys don't like warming up and trying out the floor? We find it so helpful before our Pro categories. But, I guess if you have been dancing since 8am, you definitely want to get it over with already

You mistake me for a higher level dancer. haha. My heats, including multi-dances and/or scholarships are in the morning sessions. I'm solely a spectator for evening rounds.

I should add this to what I look for in a comp. I HATE dancing rounds in the late morning, then having to get all geared up to dance again in the evening. A schedule like that would keep me out of scholarships for sure. But, that's just me.

 

[fascination]

I mentioned that as well dancelover (not liking scholarships and singles in different sessions)

I dance mostly Gold now...a pinch of silver, a pinch of open, but mostly Gold...so my opportunities to get on the floor before dancing are rare now, which is why good practice space means more to me....that being said, because my pro does not warm up with me, I prefer not to be on a floor with lots of others since I don't have two sets of eyes

 

[JudeMorrigan]

Yeah, I'm just starting to get to the point where I can think about seriously dipping my toe into silver. I try very hard to get there early enough in the morning that I can take a spin or three around the main floor before the morning session starts, but I work on the assumption that that's the only opportunity I'll have to do so before my heats.

 

[dancelvr]

I mentioned that as well dancelover (not liking scholarships and singles in different sessions)

I dance mostly Gold now...a pinch of silver, a pinch of open, but mostly Gold...so my opportunities to get on the floor before dancing are rare now, which is why good practice space means more to me....that being said, because my pro does not warm up with me, I prefer not to be on a floor with lots of others since I don't have two sets of eyes

Well, I have to say that the one and only advantage to the days when I danced Newcomer, Pre-Bronze etc was having time to warm up on the floor before heats started in the morning.

That being said, having a practice floor is a huge plus, unless the floor is so poorly put together that there are huge gaps between panels into which a heel drops, and snaps in half during QS. It almost tore my shoe off. Lesson here...practice floor = practice shoes (the oldest pair I have).