My First Champions JnJ: 9/8/22

This weekend, I entered the Champions division for the first time.

When we first started holding dance events again, I joked that I was 45 points and several years away from dancing up— meeting the 150 All-Star point requirement always came second to the question, “Am I actually ready?”

After I pointed out at Swingtacular, I went back and forth on whether or not I would jump yet, but ultimately decided that I wouldn’t know how prepared I was until I tried.

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It’s one thing to imagine the gap between where your dancing is now and where it needs to be. It’s another thing entirely to see video of yourself dancing directly between Maxime and Thibault and see that gap take a definite shape, to note the spaces you still need to grow as a dancer.

I had three wonderful dances in prelims and couldn’t have asked for a kinder reception to the division from my partners, or more support from my friends in All-Star.

I’m really proud of what I put on the floor this past weekend, regardless of results— and it’s nice to feel like I’m entering a phase where the results really won’t matter for some time (who expects to place against dancers with two decades more experience?). The work continues, but for now I’ll get to focus on my dancing and partnering for their own sake again.