Category Archives: comp diary

• Comp Diary: Total Recall

  Posted on June 24, 2011 by lauraet in comp diary, competitions.

  Tweet We got back to the ballroom way too early on Saturday for the Open American 6-Dance.  This is becoming a pattern: I am paranoid and I like to be early, plus I tend to round our scheduled time down to the hour in my mind, so if our heat is at 1:40, I remember […]

  Continue Reading...
  No Comments.

• Comp diary: May you have an interesting weekend

  Posted on June 20, 2011 by lauraet in comp diary.

  Tweet The idea that “May you lead an interesting life” is a “Chinese curse” is probably apocryphal, but one can see the relevance of the connection between “interesting” and “curse.”   Our weekend in Baton Rouge, although enjoyable and successful, was…interesting. We got away Thursday afternoon around 1 p.m. after settling a GPS rivalry in […]

  Continue Reading...
  1 Comment.

• Comp diary: Gumbo departure eve

  Posted on June 15, 2011 by lauraet in comp diary.

  Tweet We leave for Gumbo tomorrow in the early afternoon after I finish teaching, with one last practice session on deck for this evening. This will be the great driving-to-competition experiment: is the wear and tear of a 9-hour drive worth the financial savings and the freedom to haul along as much stuff as we […]

  Continue Reading...
  4 Comments.

• Comp Diary: Round and round and round

  Posted on June 7, 2011 by lauraet in comp diary, lessons.

  Tweet Yesterday was our last lesson with Eddie before we go to Gumbo the weekend after next.  We spent our entire lesson (90 minutes) doing “rounds,” which means running through our competition routines over and over again with only a small break between repetitions.  Waltz waltz waltz.  Tango tango.  Waltz-tango. Foxtrot foxtrot foxtrot foxtrot. Waltz-tango-foxtrot. […]

  Continue Reading...
  1 Comment.

• Comp Diary: There is no bull.

  Posted on May 15, 2011 by lauraet in comp diary, lessons.

  Tweet Yesterday we started learning a Paso Doble routine in our lesson with Eddie.  Daniel is especially excited about the paso because it requires good posture and sharp movements: he feels like it will help him improve his technique in our other dances.  Plus, he loves exhibition-style routines with lots of eye-catching, dramatic moves. We […]

  Continue Reading...
  2 Comments.

• Comp Diary: Dancemobile Goes to Gumbo 2011

  Posted on May 8, 2011 by lauraet in comp diary, competitions.

  Tweet Gentle readers, this past Thursday was a milestone in my life: I bought a new car. First brand-new car ever for me; first new-to-me car since 2001 when I bought a 1997 Nissan Altima.  We still have the Altima; it’s in front of the house, basking in all the glory of the 183,000 miles […]

  Continue Reading...
  No Comments.

• Garden City Dance Challenge

  Posted on March 28, 2011 by lauraet in comp diary, competitions, friends & family.

  Tweet We got back yesterday afternoon from Augusta, GA and the Garden City Dance Challenge, where we had a lot of fun.  My lack of self-tanner skills apparently wasn’t obvious, Daniel did not get busted for having gum in his mouth on the dance floor, we danced 15 heats (including our first-ever solo showcase) and […]

  Continue Reading...
  2 Comments.

• EPCTDL and EPCPL

  Posted on March 21, 2011 by lauraet in comp diary, competitions.

  Tweet As we prepare for the Garden City Dance Challenge this coming weekend, it’s time once again for Exhaustive Pre-Comp To-Do List and its little buddy, Exhaustive Pre-Comp Packing List!  And away we go… To do before Friday morning Finish learning new rumba routine Practice rumba routine Run through Smooth routines a couple times each […]

  Continue Reading...
  No Comments.

• Comp Diary #7: Photeaux

  Posted on October 24, 2010 by lauraet in comp diary.

  Tweet In between dancing poorly and gnashing our teeth, we did manage to take lots of pictures.  Here we go!

  Continue Reading...
  2 Comments.

• Comp Diary #6: Our not-at-all triumphant return

  Posted on October 24, 2010 by lauraet in comp diary.

  Tweet This morning we finished out our participation in the Carolina Fall Classic by failing to be recalled in Senior I Silver Rhythm, failing to be recalled in Adult Silver Rhythm, and scratching our two gold events.  Daniel was not feeling well, so we decided to cut our losses and start for home early.  Given […]

  Continue Reading...
  No Comments.