dancedance

Novice: Westmoreland 1st ERA: Mt. Markham Ponies 1st 37.4 Cadet: Shenendehowa 1st 51.7 Vestal Jr. 2nd 45.6 SRA: Shenendehowa 1st 60.8 West Canada Valley 2nd 59.5 Sherburne-Earlville 3rd 54.1 Cortland 4th 51.8 Fonda-Fultonville 5th 38.9 IRA: New Hartford 1st 49.5 Lakeside 2nd 48.6 Unatego 3rd 42.2 SA-2: Homer 1st 54.3 New Hartford 2nd 53.2 Westmoreland 3rd 51.5 Vestal Sr. 4th 50.8 A-P-W 5th 42.7 IA: Mt. Markham 1st 45.5 SA-1: Shenendehowa 1st 55.0 Johnstown Sr. 2nd 52.7 Johnstown Jr. 3rd 40.5 SO: Shenendehowa 1st 63.3.... but ended up with a 4 pt penalty so a 59.3

I was there - it was handled fine. The gym was not quite as large as past years due to the new and nice bleachers. Shen was unable to do their show as planned, yes - causing some difficult moments on the floor and forcing the kids to re-adjust. However - to be clear, it appeared to me that the people who ran the regional were great. You can catch the show on RePlay in finals..... since they shifted everything off center to make it happen and just accepted a small penalty in exchange. They'll come back strong from this, I guarantee. I cannot confirm or deny a problem with any SO guard.... but if there was one, I'm sure it was handled professionally. The Salem regional is always a fun experience for the crowd and performers.... lets stay positive!

NOT TOO SHABBY. ;)

You sound like a conspiracy theorist, too funny. Didn't a certain guard from the NORTHEAST beat Miamisburg last year??? C'mon.... I am not cheering for one guard over the other.... heck as long as it's good colorguard I don't care WHAT order I get to watch it in. Just saying - it became apparent to me last year that by the time things shook out in Dayton, it was nice to see a guard like Shen come from bottom of the rankings early/mid season to take 7th and beat out some of the "chosen pack." I wish ALL of you luck. Chances are the placements will be determined by tenths, not points.... so in the grand scheme of things - let's just wish them all luck and lets see some GREAT shows from everyone!

Shen, Logan, Flanagan... Love you all and sorry to see your names getting dragged down. Sour grapes. Re: Shen. From what I know, it's a show completely unlike last year - bluesey and up a notch. The only thing familiar to Shen's shows in my opinion is that they stick to using velvet tarps... some sort of recognizable theme for them, like it or not. ( I do) Also, their shows are usually very "pretty." For me, it's a welcome change from the aggressive "yelling" shows that are often associated with the World Class. I suppose that's why I also enjoyed Trumbull so much the past two years. Just because they stick to certain "style," and do it well, is no reason to criticize or give an unsolicited "scathing criticism." So far all the groups you guys are discussing are groups that have distinctly defined, interesting themes each year.

Here are a few scores from the upper classes at New Hartford, NY: 69.7 Shen, World 63.8 Homer, A 59.7 New Hartford, Independent A 54.9 Mt Markham 59.4 Shen JV, SA2

I have to admit - I'm a little confused, ....if they don't have behavior problems, always show up and do what they are told, work hard, and are dedicated.... sounds like you don't have a problem really. Is is that you want more passion from them? You can't make a kid feel passionate about a sport - they either do or they don't. But if they're not causing a problem, doing their work and showing up every night.... I don't see what the problem is really. As long as their "whatever" attitude doesn't manifest in ways that are a distraction to the guard or your progress. If that is happening, ...well, than that IS a behavioral problem that needs to be addressed. Are they chatty? Do they not move fast between exercises? What is it that specifically makes you think they don't care - maybe if you can identify the specific issues, you can combat them. BUt it sounds to me like you maybe you do have bahavior issues, ....even if they are not the more blatant kind. But backtracking.... If you have a kid(s) that comes in and does what you ask of them but doesn't "eat breathe and sleep" guard.... well, I'm not sure there's anything you can do to force a love of the activity onto them. However, my personal experience has been that it's all cyclical.... Outline a code of conduct, stick to it. An environment of positive work ethic eventually ensues. THEN, ....you start attracting better athletes, more motivated, focused. And finally, ....you typically start becoming more successful. And NOTHING breeds passion like success. It's a long process and the ones that have to work the hardest are not the kids..... it's the coaches. Anyone interested in a code of conduct should leave their address and I'll send it to you in a personal email.

Ahhh, memories. Well you asked, so here's here's how we did it..... years ago but feels like yesterday - In a sentence - We stuck to the game plan. After a year of complaining that our kids were rude and unfocused, we implemented a code of conduct and outlined the progression of punishment. ...And - I'm not going to lie to you - We lost kids, ....they quit. They failed to meet the grade requirements. Some were even asked to leave. We fought parents, we battled history. All along, we asked support of the school administrators. Of course - they offered their support to us as staff - after all, we were enforcing behavioral standards and good grades. And, in the end - we won. At the time, we were an "A" level guard program, like most high schools. We lived through the transition year(s) - we were more successful for it in the long run too - even "placement wise." Years later, we have built a world class program whereby no one, and I NO ONE, disrespects the instructors or they are sent home. If a formal apology doesn't ensue - they know not to show up to the gym on Monday night. It's strike one on the code... and depending on the severity of their behavior - they are gone. They don't talk when we are talking, they move quickly from one thing to the next, they trust us when we tell them we are going to work on something (over and over) for the betterment of the program. If they don't like - there's the door. I'm not saying it's perfect and we never have incidents - they are teenagers for God's sake - but you believe if it's once a season, it's a lot. It's not easy. And I don't mean to make it sound so. But is it any harder than coming into a gym night after night and working with kids you feel don't deserve to be there - or don't want to be there - or as you like to say - "just don't seem to get it?" Ugh, painful. I'd rather take my lumps for a few years and work with a TINY guard of kids who LOVE to be there and work hard all the time. I remember being scared to lose kids.... and I remember actually LOSING them. And I remember after one season of a small gym full of really nice, hardworking kids thinking, "I would rather come in dead last with these kids than win with the others." In time, the discipline and expectations has attracted better, finer athletes to the program. It has caught on - it's taken more seriously from the district and blossomed into several junior and cadet level programs at the school. And we demand that the students at those levels be held to the same standards.... and now, by the time they reach us at the World Class level - they just know better. But BELIEVE ME, ....we have been there. We have ALL been there. I encourage you to do whatever it takes to show a no tolerance policy. I don't believe we would have ever built up this program had we not decided years ago to simply not tolerate anything but the best from our students. Good luck....

I say this respectfully, because I really do understand how hard it is to teach these kids and keep them motivated.... but if this has become the environment on your guard, you might also have to examine how you (and the staff) may have allowed this behavior to fester. Could it be possible that their attitudes have beaten you down over the years - and now you've grown somewhat "tolerant" to it? You should know that there are places where this type of behavior wouldn't ever be tolerated. Where a director would soon throw a kid off the guard who even remotely displayed a careless attitude (or in the case of the 2nd email - god forbid laughed their way off the floor after a disappointing performance). Eeek. I'm so sorry to hear that happened - how disheartening. Some things to consider - - Do you have punishments that fit the crime? ie, are they taken out of parts of the show (even temporarily?) Are they given a verbal warning or are they written up.... punishable by pulling them from shows and eventually expelling them from the team? Do you make them sign a Code of Conduct that clearly outlines expectations, and how punishments will be executed and when? ...Maybe you should consider it - it would sure send a strong message. My guess is you put in a LOT of time into teaching these kids, ....you deserve respect. Respect means they show up, shut up, work hard and always always put in 100%. How frustrating for you if you're getting anything less than that from your kids... but unfortunately - the only one who is going to change that environment is YOU. Good luck with it.

I'm pretty excited to see that there is the potential for 30 guards to be in the WORLD CLASS next year. This year there were only about 25 throughout the course of this past season - and some never went to Worlds. Arcadia HS Arcadia, CA Avon HS Avon, IN Beyer HS Modesto, CA Center Grove HS Greenwood, IN Centerville HS Centerville, OH Cheshire HS Cheshire, CT Choctawhatchee HS Ft. Walton Beach, FL Clovis West HS Fresno, CA Cypress Falls HS Houston, TX Diamond Bar HS Diamond Bar, CA Eastburg HS The Pocono's, PA Flanagan HS Pembroke Pines, FL James Logan HS Union City, CA Kennesaw Mountain HS Kennesaw, GA Lawrence Central HS Indianapolis, IN Leigh HS San Jose, CA Miamisburg HS Miamisburg, OH Northview HS Brazil, IN Oak Grove HS San Jose, CA Rancho Bernardo HS San Diego, CA Shenendehowa HS Clifton Park, NY Stoneman Douglas HS Parkland, FL Tarpon Springs HS Tarpon Springs, FL Tate HS Pensacola, FL Trumbull HS Trumbull, CT PLUS 5 MOVING UP FROM SCHOLASTIC OPEN - Carmel, Warren, Seminole, Plymouth Canton, Rancho Cucamonga !!!! On the above list - Does anyone know if Kennesaw, Diamond Bar, and Oak Grove are staying World Class next year?? Is anyonhe else coming or going into the class.... ? (My favorite classes are the scholastic ones - SO too!)

fyi - for numbers sake - There were 24 guards in SW this year - a few of the bottom-most ranked guards decided to not attend worlds or they pulled out at the last minute. It's a long way to travel and a LOT of money to spend to only get to do Prelims. Remember, ....that's all you get in the World Class.

That's a great question.... one that people will all have varying opinions on based on their own success or failures in the promotion process. I think it often depends on a variety of variables. Obviously, the transition from Open into World can be the most strenuous. It's not the spinning that seems to be as much an issue, as the DESIGN of programs that often holds groups back. So much integration is expected at the World Class - a level of sophistication that seems to truly seperate the men from the boys. But if you examine (for example) the SO guards last year who got promoted, ....several of them made it into the World Class Finals. Chesire was the SO Gold Medalist - and finished 15th in World Class. Shenendehowa was the SO Silver medalist and finished 7th in the World Class. And Trumbull was the SO Bronze medalist and finished 10th in the class. (Certain groups that promoted themselves did not make the World Final but let's remember that they were not a WGI promoted guard.) Others, such as the promoted Cypress Falls, were lovely and may just need another year of growth to make the Final. In terms of the move into the IW class, ....it's no wonder WGI only typically promotes the IO medalists year to year. It goes without saying what an incredibly tough class that is.... one that can't be measured by "who makes the final" - - for it's an honor just to be in that class at all. In terms of A guards getting promoted into the Open class.... well, this is just a necessary part of the growing process that WGI must enforce. Sometimes it's painful, as SA guards in particular often have to work for years to make it into the SO final. But there's nothing wrong with that.... nothing at all. It's not all about making the Final. It's about taking steps each year to build your program into a comprehensive movement, design and spinning machine. So if you are an A guard being promoted to Open, ......settle in for what could be a few years of necessary growth and don't get frustrated by the ideals of making or not making the Finals. Last year, the SA Gold medalist did sneak themselves into 15th place in the SO class - Gates Chili. Others will need to wait, ....work, ....grow. In time, many groups will succeed. A few will fail. Is it not any different in competitive sports as a whole? I think we need to trust the review committee to look at units in a global way - to examine show design and body/equipment integration - and if they feel a unit is truly ready.... they deserve a shot at the next class up. Should they flounder, .....well, a decision will need to be made by a thoughtful staff. I say respectfully - good for them for trying. They can always move back down if need be - or - take their lumps and grow, push, grow, push, and wait for their time in the sun. I'm sure not everyone agrees. But in general, most of us support the promotion system that WGI has in place.

Here are my VERY random thoughts in no order: 1. I wish I saw more of SO. That has to be my favorite class and I am just thrilled that Carmel took the gold. What beauty. Wish I had seen Warren Central... guess I'll buy the video. 2. I feel bad for SW guards. With the way people talk, it's as if the class is only made up of 2 guards - Logan and Avon. Those two are just so amazing - the type of amazing whereby they could be competitive in the IW class! They are so #### good that the other 13 colorguards get sort of forgotten - even though it's incredible to me that these 12, 15, 17 year-olds are out there throwing sixes and doing triple pirouettes. Hang in there you "other" SW guards - you are appreciated too. 3. Costumes, ....far less offensive than other year. Amen, good taste is back for most part. I didn't see a single girl fall out of her uniform! 4. Crowd, ....that was just SICK. Not a seat to be found in that place - what excitement - what absolute exhileration. If you're someone saying it was "boring this year," ....then you were one of these people watching it from your living room and hell - what do you expect. Next year - COME. 5. Here's the part where I slap performers on the hand. Allow me to take this opportunity to share a basic lesson in polite behavior. SCHOLASTIC WORLD - you were the GUILTIEST of this!!! Shame shame. When a guard is performing - DON'T enter the bleachers. NO NO NO NO NO!!!!! WAIT until the performance is over and THEN find your seat. Don't stand in the aisles talking, don't run up and down with pop corn, don't screeech to mom "HERE, I'm HERE!" Stand up top, ....shut up till the last note of the music, ....and THEN find a seat in between guards. And directors, ....this is something you should REMIND your performers of on the way into the arena. The newbies probably don't know any better and let's face it - they are KIDS - remind them about rude behavior and how it shouldn't be tolerated. Off my soap box now - and back to congratulating everyone on GREAT performances. Fabulous year in Dayton - one of my all time faves.

Your core training needs to be in Ballet. Even the best moderm dancers out there have their roots in ballet..... Good luck!

Great idea, good for you! A lyrical class would be appropriate - sure - or a beginning ballet class would be fabulous too. Nearly all dance has it's roots in ballet... Good luck to you!