Whining Thread #2
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You should participate in this not-senior comp, and deliberately exagerate your seniority to make it obvious to everybody that they should come back to S1 and S2. You know, grey-hair wig, fake missing teeth, a crutch and so on.
A few months ago my amateur partner and I competed in a Collegiate event where there were no age categories. So, I was a good 15 years older than the combined ages of the other (much more energetic and more supple) couples. My partner and I did just fine, and were recalled to 3 out the 4 events that we entered, even finishing 4th in 2 of those events. Lesson being: it isn't necessarily about age - it's sometimes about having the discretionary income to take lots and lots of private lessons focusing on technique.
j_alexandra: Good luck and don't worry about age!
j_alexandra: Good luck and don't worry about age!
I think it's not either or. Yes, in principle, someone can take up dancing at 60, take lots of lessons, focus on technique and be better than a college kid who joins a club, takes group lessons only, and practices a bit. But in practice, if both work about the same amount during a year, and a year after starting decide to compete, most of the time, the younger person will be able to execute things that require stamina, flexibility, physical strength and so on. But youth alone doesn't automatically win.
The way I see it, for the most part anyone is capable of achieving just about anything, to a respectable level of success. We can't all be champions, but we can all go a pretty long way if we want to.
The only question is how long it will take and how much effort and focus is required. That is what varies.
Speaking for myself, I've surpassed a lot of people who are more talented than I am just because I put in the work.
On the other side of things, I've been just as often roundly trounced by those who both work as hard as I do AND have talent. Hats off to them, they deserve every accolade!
The only question is how long it will take and how much effort and focus is required. That is what varies.
Speaking for myself, I've surpassed a lot of people who are more talented than I am just because I put in the work.
On the other side of things, I've been just as often roundly trounced by those who both work as hard as I do AND have talent. Hats off to them, they deserve every accolade!
raindance
Forum Master
I'm guessing you don't have experience with moderate to severe arthritis, for example. I agree with you in principle, but would temper the statement a bit more. Most people in their 40s, 50s, or 60s (arthritic or not) will never again have the flexibility of a healthy 20 something year old, regardless of hard work and effort. Age divisions exist in dancing for good reason. (And yes, individual variations in health, work ethic, talent, finances, coaching, etc, also make a big difference separate from age factors. And yes, competing against college kids when you're nowhere near that age can be a fun challenge!)
I personally think the best approach to dance in general is to do your best to make your best performance and let the chips fall where they may. But it's also understandable to be frustrated when you've been working on things for years and then have the age divisions change unexpectedly and so find you will competing against younger folks than you were expecting.
@raindance I'll admit that my optimism is pretty relentless. That's partially because telling myself that story pushes me further than yielding to my limitations does.
(The dark side of my apparently sunny stance is that, depending on your goal, sometimes the amount of time required is more than the rest of your life, and the effort and focus is 110% for 28 hours per day. One's goals do need to be attainable...)
That said, one of the cool things about dance is that what you lack (or lose) in physical ability, you can make up for with performative emotion and musicality and integration with your partner. Age doesn't seem to limit those, at least from where I'm standing.
Oh, and just to say it out loud...yeah, @j_alexandra division changes stink. Playing fields are rarely perfectly level, but it is far nicer when they are at least consistent!
(The dark side of my apparently sunny stance is that, depending on your goal, sometimes the amount of time required is more than the rest of your life, and the effort and focus is 110% for 28 hours per day. One's goals do need to be attainable...)
That said, one of the cool things about dance is that what you lack (or lose) in physical ability, you can make up for with performative emotion and musicality and integration with your partner. Age doesn't seem to limit those, at least from where I'm standing.
Oh, and just to say it out loud...yeah, @j_alexandra division changes stink. Playing fields are rarely perfectly level, but it is far nicer when they are at least consistent!
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To add to what raindance wrote, the ability of muscles to recover from exertion declines with age. This is partly related to decline in hormone. Exercise helps slow loss of muscle mass, but age remains a factor.
The other thing is j_alexandra was disappointed about reduced age classes in competition, not merely doing something adequately. She presumably intends to compete against other people who also train and spend money on lessons, and who are in her "metal" division. The level (bronze, silver etc) divisions exist for a reason. So do the age classes. Age classes exist in lots of sports- from golf to marathons. So the age factor is recognized.
I know if I want to compete, this year, I'm the oldest in my class. I just have to suck it up. But I would be disappointed if, after competing as the oldest in my class, then suddenly next year, the next senior level vanished.
The other thing is j_alexandra was disappointed about reduced age classes in competition, not merely doing something adequately. She presumably intends to compete against other people who also train and spend money on lessons, and who are in her "metal" division. The level (bronze, silver etc) divisions exist for a reason. So do the age classes. Age classes exist in lots of sports- from golf to marathons. So the age factor is recognized.
I know if I want to compete, this year, I'm the oldest in my class. I just have to suck it up. But I would be disappointed if, after competing as the oldest in my class, then suddenly next year, the next senior level vanished.
Well... you weren't entirely wrong. I'm also impressed you went to - to- toe with young whipper-snappers.
I'm hoping I'll get my husband to be willing to compete and then maybe we'll find some collegiate competitions were we can do am-am inexpensively. At least initially, we'll probably lose against the young whippersnappers. But it could still be fun. And who knows. ? Eventually, we might not lose.
I'm hoping I'll get my husband to be willing to compete and then maybe we'll find some collegiate competitions were we can do am-am inexpensively. At least initially, we'll probably lose against the young whippersnappers. But it could still be fun. And who knows. ? Eventually, we might not lose.
Early 40's here, I can attest to this. It has taken me a while to adjust to this fact - it always catches me off guard when it takes a couple days to recover from something strenuous. And if I go hard (at life in general) for too long, my mind and body will eventually say enough's enough, and shut me down for a day. I'm tired and sleepy and cranky today, and I know that's what's driving it.
Like raindance, I don't disagree in principle, but the devil is in the details. The part in italics has a lot of factors to consider. You can achieve "anything", but you can't achieve "everything", and that is what I'm personally up against right now. I'm recently in a new role at work and I have a kid with a strong personality (and I'm in the lower percentiles of "maternal talent"). I am mentally spent most days. It's super easy to make a "to-do" list of what has to be done to achieve my pie-in-the-sky goals, but there are limits on what can actually be executed. I sincerely wish I could do more (like practice consistently, for one) to improve my skills, but my reality right now is that I simply don't have all the resources I need (time, money, energy, mental capacity). Right now something has to give (and it will soon). Anyway, this is definitely a whine, so thankfully it's in the right thread.
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