Comp-Spot By Sherry Borchelt

The newsletter and website staff are happy to introduce Sherry Borchelt as a writer/reporter for the Competition News or the “Comp-Spot”. We will focus as Sherry puts it “ on the journey rather than the destination”. Let’s learn more about Sherry and her background....

Welcome readers to COMP-Spot! My objective is to make this an informative journey into the exciting world of ballroom competition. You may want to know what makes me knowledgeable to write this column.

Like many of you, an event motivated my husband, Jim to sign us up for dance lessons. Flash back to 1999. Jim and I were married 33 years and had never danced together. Jim’s objective was simple – for him to feel at least partially comfortable dancing at our daughter’s wedding. He achieved that goal, and we both became hooked on wanting to learn more so we could move competently around the dance floor in a social setting.

Our progress, as well as passion for competitive dancing grew as a result of the excellent coaching received from our
professional instructor, Jozsef Parragh. We started competing three years ago as an Amateur couple and are currently ranked 9th in the USA DanceSport Superbowl for Amateur couples. Jozsef and I compete in the Professional/Amateur (Pro/Am) division. We earned the National Runner-Up title for Bronze 10 Dance Championships at Las Vegas in 2003. In 2004, we were selected as one of the top 24 couples in the USA for the Open International Standard team match held in Atlanta.

While winning at a competition is always a thrill, it’s just as much fun and exhilarating to see the progress made at competitions whether you win a trophy or not. That’s why focus for this column will be more about the journey than the destination. I will be introducing twelve topics over the next year that hopefully will peak your interest about competing. If there are specific areas you want to learn more about let us know. Watch for the next edition, “Is Competing for You & How to Get Started?” Until then, keep on dancing!

The Archives  
What Do Judges Look For In Competitors?
Selling it
Dressing for Success
You’ve Arrived at the Competition – Now What??
Competition Style, Categories and Levels
Competition – Is It For You?


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