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LilyB
13th-October-2003, 11:23 AM
Congratulations to our own Will Hargreaves for his magnificent achivevments in the Britroc comp in Hove yesterday!!! 1st in the Open and 3rd in the Showcase. (With the help of his stunning partner Kate Miles, of course)

Also congratulations to Brady and Janet for winning the Intermediate, against some very stiff opposition I must add. Well worth the long journey down to Brighton!

Well done also to occasional forum contributor Clayton Tubbs who won the Showcase with the ab-fab Janine Myers.

Graham LeClerc and Sarah Johnson are to be congratulated for running the competition so successfully, particularly as this was the very first time the BritRoc was held. I understand that it will now be an annual event.

LilyB

Dave Hancock
13th-October-2003, 11:37 AM
May I add my congratulations to both Brady and Janet for their excellent efforts in winning the intermediates at the weekend. You've both done Scotland proud and I'm chuffed to bits for the both of you.

Hopefully this shall help to further raise the profile of Scottish dancing and shall I'm sure it shall enhance the growing reputation of Mr Rogers.

Think this calls for a celebration:cheers:

Dreadful Scathe
13th-October-2003, 11:39 AM
Originally posted by Dave Hancock


Think this calls for a celebration:cheers:

Indeed, celebratory lunch in central glasgow sometime this week...whos coming ? :)

Well done Brady and Janet :)

Dave Hancock
13th-October-2003, 11:41 AM
You paying????

Dreadful Scathe
13th-October-2003, 11:44 AM
Originally posted by Dave Hancock
You paying????

er..ok why not. Only if Brady and Janet are there though :)

Minnie M
13th-October-2003, 12:04 PM
Fantastic News:cheers:

Congrulations Will, Clayton, Brady & Barry (from Brighton) + their paretners of course and to ALL the winners - and isn't great when the people you like win too !

Brady just keeps getting better and better :drool:

Save a dance for me a Rock Bottom (IOW) please :hug:

Will
13th-October-2003, 12:18 PM
Originally posted by Minnie M
Fantastic News:cheers:

Congrulations Will, Clayton, Brady & Barry (from Brighton) + their paretners of course and to ALL the winners - and isn't great when the people you like win too !

Brady just keeps getting better and better :drool:

Save a dance for me a Rock Bottom (IOW) please :hug:

Thankyou Minnie.

Can I just point out though that victory came at a very high price. Judges don't come cheap, and Lily was very expensive. But worse than catering for Lily's champagne tastes was the deep humiliation of having to dance the final in Leeds Utd shirt with "Viduka" written on the back of it in order to get maximum presentation marks out of DavidB. :really:

Monika
13th-October-2003, 12:26 PM
Brady & Janet

Congratulations! Well done to both of you - it takes two to "Tango"!
:cheers:

Happy dancing and good luck in Musselburgh (believe you're not dancing together there, but still both dancing so have fun & show us how it's done!) :)

Minnie M
13th-October-2003, 01:02 PM
Originally posted by Will
Thankyou Minnie.

Can I just point out though that victory came at a very high price. Judges don't come cheap

I don't believe that for a nano second - I am still tingling from that dance with you at Rebel Yell - you are a well deserved winner !

Graham
13th-October-2003, 01:12 PM
Originally posted by Dave Hancock
You paying???? Let's have a celebratory game of "Spot the accountant" in honour of Brady and Janet's success!

Divissima
13th-October-2003, 01:36 PM
I have to add my praise to Lily's. The competition was a triumph - Graham LeClerc and Sarah Johnson organised a fantastic event. The venue was superb - the floor was fast and in good condition, there was plenty of seating around the dancefloor and there was a balcony with further seating. The music was excellent and enjoyable. The event *gasp* ran to time. The judges sat just in front of the audience for most of the events (DWAS was the only exception that I noticed) so that the dancers who were orienting moves or presenting themselves did not have to choose either/or between audience and judges. And for me (as a competitor) what was really great was that for several events - intermediate, advanced and open (possibly others but in the excitement I can't remember) they announced placings for all finalists and all finalists received a small prize (for those out of the top three a little towel with 'Britroc 2003 - Finalist' embroidered on it) which was just a nice touch.

It is my opinion that Britroc and Chance2Dance have set the standard for modern jive competitions (not meant as any disrespect to the Scotland comp - I didn't make it last year and can't go this year either :sorry :tears: ) - the Hammersmith competition has a way to go to make the grade.

Will and Kate were amazing - my voice is still croaky today :wink: Clayton and Janine were amazing. Ray and Jane Godman who won advanced were amazing - and had the dance of their lives! The St Mary's crew were fab - although it was a bit freaky to be in the bar next to a table of eight women in wedding dresses:what: The Nottingham team did their lovely Moulin Rouge routine from Blackpool. I should also mention Taz and her partner (sorry - I don't know his name) - their showcase was lovely.

Pammy and her partner (Tony?) did really well - I can't wait for the video to watch the other intermediate couples doing their stuff. Pammy - your friend (I'm terrible - I can't remember her name sorry) must have been knackered! She must have been pleased to place (2nd?) in DWAS. Sheepy was looking good in Advanced and reached the final - and managed to keep his hat on (most of the time:wink: ). Apologies to anyone I have missed out.

The judging must have been unbelievably tough - not a task I would envy at all. But it was great to have Lily and DavidB on the panel - a tough job well done.

The standard of competition was really high all round - and what a great atmosphere. It was a late night by the time TwK and I had driven back to London - but well worth the lack of sleep :grin: .

Jayne
13th-October-2003, 02:34 PM
Can I add my congratulations too?? :D

Well done to both of you! :hug:

J :D

Minnie M
13th-October-2003, 02:44 PM
Originally posted by Divissima
I
It is my opinion that Britroc and Chance2Dance have set the standard for modern jive competitions (not meant as any disrespect to the Scotland comp - I didn't make it last year and can't go this year either :sorry :tears: ) - the Hammersmith competition has a way to go to make the grade.


Sorry I can't let this pass without a comment - I wasn't there BUT I live in Hove and the Hove Centre is by far the best hall we have in this part of Sussex BUT you are a well over the top with your praise.

I thought the Blackpool Hall is far superior to Hove Town Hall/Centre (which has a floor like an icerink) and what about Hammersmith Palais, the floor may not be as good but the atmosphere far outways Hove.

AND the organisers for both Blackpool and Hammersmith were working with a lot lot more numbers than the relatively small Hove event.

If you are dishing out the compliments you are forgetting Andy Mc., who without his help there would be NO Britroc AND the major help of Nigel and other friends who without their help it would not have happened.

From the feed back I have had, Graham & Sarah did very well for a first attempt and I wish the all the sucess for 2004 and hopefully they will change the days around, making the Friday as the Warm-Up dance and Saturday for the competition.

Andy McGregor
13th-October-2003, 03:56 PM
Originally posted by Minnie M
If you are dishing out the compliments you are forgetting Andy Mc., who without his help there would be NO Britroc

Thank you Minnie. For that high praise I'll let your identity remain secret for a bit longer:devil:

p.s. You're giving the game away by saying where you've been and not been. Eventually someone will do the massive process of elimination and work out who you really are.

Dreadful Scathe
13th-October-2003, 04:06 PM
Originally posted by Andy McGregor
Eventually someone will do the massive process of elimination and work out who you really are.

after all, how many 6 foot mice can there be ? :)

Graham W
13th-October-2003, 04:22 PM
It was the best competition I've been too (not been to Scotland.) not in terms of me winning anything but presentation...

G

PS - Lily thanks for feedback to my partner

Will
13th-October-2003, 04:23 PM
Originally posted by Minnie M
....... that dance with you at Rebel Yell

Nice of you to say so Minnie, but I've not been able to put avatars to faces here. Would you be a friend of Lynda (of Lynda's List) by any chance? Or do I have to bribe Andy McGregor (who I also don't know) to find out?

Will
13th-October-2003, 04:34 PM
She's too modest to mention this of course, but it would be remiss of me not to mention how well Divissima & Toby danced yesterday. The keep getting better and better, and this was no exception.

They cruised into the final of the intermediate, and finishing 4th must have missed out on a top 3 place by the whisker of an anorexic gnat that has eaten less in the last 3 weeks than David Blaine! And on another day, who knows?

Still their best result yet (to my knowledge), and thoroughly deserved.

Sheepman
13th-October-2003, 04:37 PM
Originally posted by Minnie M
Sorry I can't let this pass without a comment - I wasn't there BUT I live in Hove and the Hove Centre is by far the best hall we have in this part of Sussex BUT you are a well over the top with your praise.

I thought the Blackpool Hall is far superior to Hove Town Hall/Centre (which has a floor like an icerink) and what about Hammersmith Palais, the floor may not be as good but the atmosphere far outways Hove.
Minnie I have to strongly disagree here, and I was there. Yes, that floor was like an ice rink, and this did cause a few problems, most notably in the showcases, there were some moves where I need friction :wink: I just couldn't use them. But this venue is so much better than Hammersmith in almost every way, OK, it is not as big, but I cannot think of any other way in which it is not better. The atmosphere I felt at Hammersmith was mostly feeling overcrowded, I did not think the audience were that "involved" with the performances, and when it came to awards, at Hammersmith they felt it necessary to use canned applause, what was that all about? At Britroc none of that was necessary, the awards were swiftly presented to spontaneous applause, and the crowd was often vocal during the performances. Graham did an excellent job as MC, and kept things moving all the time. Certainly as a competitor, this was far more enjoyable than Hammersmith. Blackpool is a different case entirely, with that huge venue, and huge numbers.

The competition was superbly organised, especially considering it was a first time effort. I would have just one small gripe - the queuing to get in was about 20 minutes (though this compares with about an hour at Hammersmith). This could be speeded up by having an alphabetic split, so that there could be twin lanes for entry.

I was only half conscious of it myself with all the commotion of competing, but Mrs Sheepman commented to the organisers that "It was the best competition music I've ever heard."

DJs included Jon Brett and John Miller, so I'm amazed that the organisers didn't advertise the fact, I found it so hard to drag myself away before the end, as some great music was still playing.

Having the judges podium amongst the audience should be obvious really, so why is it the first time I've seen this? It is great to be able to perform to the judges AND the audience. (So why, why, why, did I do one dip with my back to the judges! Damn!)

And another big difference, I heard absolutely no comments about the judging. As far as I can see this means that there was no controversy about the results. OK we may have favourites and differences in tastes and style, but it seems to me that this was a big success for the McGregor judging method. For the DWAS, there was no tap on the shoulder method, so no problems there. The judges were a team of top dancers, all highly respected - Nigel & Nina, David & Lily Barker, Mark Wilson & Jackie Robins, and an independent judge who's name I'm afraid I've forgotten.

So the results as I remember them - apologies to anyone I've mispelt, or misplaced, or forgotten:-

Intermediate
1. Brady and Janet (super smooooth!)
2. Steven and Julie (I believe Julie has been dancing about 7 months!!)
3. Michelle and Jonathan

Advanced
1. Ray & Jane Godman
2 & 3 (?)

Open
1. Kate Miles & Will Hargreaves
2. Tas & Adam (worth going to Rock Bottoms October just to see these 2, but sorry guys, I believe it's sold out! And I'm not selling my ticket for any less than £50,000!)
3. Simon Rich & Christine Chen

Showcase
1. Janine & Clayton
2. Tas & Adam
3. Kate Miles & Will Hargreaves

DWAS
1. Su Fai & Lesley
2. Ray Godman & Helen (aka "She")
3. ?

Seniors
1. Barry Torrens-Burton & Danielle (good to see at least one trophy staying in the City of B&Hove!)
2. ?
3. Lesley & ? (The Bunny girls!)

Three Jive
1. Vivienne Wardman, Jennifer Whits, Alison Williams

A special mention to Christine Chen and Simon Rich on their third place, great to see them get some recognition (as if an overwhelming win in their Jive Masters heat wasn't enough!) This will probably be the last time we see these two compete, as Christine is given up the high level competing to spend more time with her children and partner, so I was so pleased to see them get a well deserved medal before she hangs up those funky costumes! (Also thanks to Christine for standing in for Mary with me, if there's a next time, I promise we'll have more than 30 minutes freestyle practice!)

And well done to Divi and TwK, that podium place still only just eluding them, re. the hat, did you notice in the final it stayed on throughout - just to prove that we can!

Finally a special mention to Helen (aka "She") she did so well in the Intermediate with a partner (Andy) that grabbed her on the day , as his partner was injured. She must have been the dancer on the floor longer than anyone else. She deserves a stamina award. As well as dancing through to the finals in 2 events, for both of these a "dance off" was needed. I lost count of the number of time she went off the floor, only to come straight back on for the next heat!

I know some people were upset that the promised separate hall with 12 hours of freestyle music didn't materialise. Unfortunate, but understandable without bigger numbers to help finance the event (I would make a wild guess at about 400 people there?) I wouldn't want to see this event making a loss, as it deserves to be repeated, and no doubt it will grow, the main hall and balcony can accomodate many more. I almost baulked myself at the £25 entry fee, (the same as the Ceroc champs) but if I am to choose between the 2, this is the one I will go for, certainly while Ceroc is at Hammersmith. Numbers may have been lower due to the event being on a Sunday, with long journeys home at the end. If you thought of going, but were put off, what was the reason?

Greg

Minnie M
13th-October-2003, 05:00 PM
Sorry Mr. Sheepman

I am sure the Britroc was well oganised, I am not doubting that, but it is a lot easier when the numbers are manageable. I was told there were about 300 there, the Centre holds a max of 700

Andy McGregor
13th-October-2003, 05:03 PM
Originally posted by Will
Nice of you to say so Minnie, but I've not been able to put avatars to faces here. Would you be a friend of Lynda (of Lynda's List) by any chance? Or do I have to bribe Andy McGregor (who I also don't know) to find out?

Very warm, very warm indeed:wink:

Lynda is a bit of an enigma herself. Everyone has heard of her list (at www.lyndaslist.com) but most people wouldn't even recognise her in a line-up with another 9 leggy supermodels in swimsuits:devil:

On the subject of knowing who I am, I make no secret of my identity. I look very much like my avatar. I'm the one on the left, the only difference is that my real forearms are a bit thinner.


Well done Greg, a fantastic review of the day at BritRoc. I did notice you seemed to face the wrong way a bit. I do that too - but only because I think my bottom is my best feature:waycool:

Sheepman
13th-October-2003, 05:39 PM
Originally posted by Andy McGregor
I do that too - but only because I think my bottom is my best feature:waycool:
My best feature was my partner of course :grin:

Greg

Minnie M
13th-October-2003, 05:40 PM
Originally posted by Andy McGregor
most people wouldn't even recognise her in a line-up with another 9 leggy supermodels in swimsuits:devil:


I like it best when people think I am Linda Barker Ellard !

Bit upset that Will didn't remember our dance tho :tears: :tears:

Tiggerbabe
13th-October-2003, 05:48 PM
Huge congrats to Brady and Janet! Well done :D :hug:

Andy McGregor
13th-October-2003, 05:53 PM
Originally posted by Sheepman
My best feature was my partner of course :grin:

Greg

In your case that's completely true. I solved that one by partnering The Tramp at Blackpool:devil:


p.s. When I partnered Nina in the Ceroc champs she was obviously the best feature in our partnership - I thought I'd better put this in as I've just had one of those gonad shrivelling moments when I realised people could take the wrong inference...

Minnie M
13th-October-2003, 06:22 PM
Originally posted by Divissima

It is my opinion that Britroc and Chance2Dance have set the standard for modern jive competitions (not meant as any disrespect to the Scotland comp - I didn't make it last year and can't go this year either :sorry :tears: ) - the Hammersmith competition has a way to go to make the grade.


My apologies Divissima, I read your post too quickly, I thought you had written that Britroc should set the standard for Blackpool as well as Hammersmith.

I love the Blackpool Competition, the WHOLE weekend is brilliant - Friday warm-up dance, the competition day AND the chill-out day on Sunday.

Brighton has a lot to offer, it is a shame Graham didn't take that into consideration, however, by all accounts it WAS a good day and it appeared that everyone enjoyed it

- By the way DavidB knew who I was from my first post ! (when did you realise Mr.Tramp!)

Wendy
13th-October-2003, 06:25 PM
Well done Brady and Janet (and all the others - won't do a Sheepman - kidding Greg - well done for that post !!!)

It's been a great year for you Brady !!!! and it's not over yet !!!!
and Janet.. what a champ too.....not surprised really...you two are amazing together !!!!

Wxxx

Andy McGregor
13th-October-2003, 06:31 PM
Originally posted by Minnie M
- By the way DavidB knew who I was from my first post ! (when did you realise Mr.Tramp!)

I knew too:wink:

Amazingly, I'm aware of two Minnie M fans who come from the Brighton area but only one has a computer so it wasn't hard for me to work out:hug:

Coincidentally, the other one is also from the same agency that supplies all of my tall, leggy swimsuit models:waycool:

Minnie M
13th-October-2003, 06:45 PM
Originally posted by Wendy
It's been a great year for you Brady !!!! and it's not over yet !!!!


Hear hear :cheers: - great guy, great dancer :cheers:

LilyB
13th-October-2003, 08:39 PM
Originally posted by Will
She's too modest to mention this of course, but it would be remiss of me not to mention how well Divissima & Toby danced yesterday. The keep getting better and better, and this was no exception.

They cruised into the final of the intermediate, and finishing 4th must have missed out on a top 3 place by the whisker of an anorexic gnat that has eaten less in the last 3 weeks than David Blaine! And on another day, who knows?

Still their best result yet (to my knowledge), and thoroughly deserved.
Yes indeed - well done to Divi & Toby for their excellent showing at the BritRoc. And also to Mr Sheepman for his finals placing in a very tough competition. And to everyone else who did well - congratulations! Sorry I didn't do a full roll-call in my earlier message this morning but that was posted in a hurry - wanted forum-readers to know how brilliantly some of our members did last night!

LilyB

Will
13th-October-2003, 10:19 PM
Originally posted by Minnie M
Bit upset that Will didn't remember our dance tho :tears: :tears:

Of course I remember dancing with you at Rebel Yell! - Now I've clocked who you are! :wink:

Stuart M
13th-October-2003, 11:33 PM
Just wanted to add my congrats to Janet and Brady. Brilliant!

Like Wendy, not too surprised, though. After all, Janet's always been a superb dancer, and as for the Young American - well, it's taking three guys to replace him as demo partners, in the Glasgow classes...:)

TheTramp
14th-October-2003, 12:20 AM
Originally posted by Minnie M
- By the way DavidB knew who I was from my first post ! (when did you realise Mr.Tramp!) Don't remember. But it was pretty quick. I think I've known who you are since almost as soon as you were on here.. :D

Congrats to all the forum members who did so well in the competition. Wish I could have been there to cheer you all on :D

Steve

TheTramp
14th-October-2003, 12:21 AM
Originally posted by Stuart M
and as for the Young American - well, it's taking three guys to replace him as demo partners, in the Glasgow classes...:) *cough*

:confused: :confused:

And what's that supposed to mean then??

Steve

Stuart M
14th-October-2003, 12:49 AM
Originally posted by Stuart M
and as for the Young American - well, it's taking three guys to replace him as demo partners, in the Glasgow classes...


Originally posted by TheTramp
*cough*

:confused: :confused:

And what's that supposed to mean then??

Steve
Sorry, Steve, I forgot you were one of them...I meant two guys and a lesbian, of course...

Will
14th-October-2003, 01:04 AM
Originally posted by Stuart M
Sorry, Steve, I forgot you were one of them...I meant two guys and a lesbian, of course...

I think he thought you were implying that he was all 3 of them! :rofl:

Andy McGregor
14th-October-2003, 09:11 AM
Originally posted by Stuart M
Sorry, Steve, I forgot you were one of them...I meant two guys and a lesbian, of course...

Does this mean The Tramp's come out as the male lesbian we know about all along?

Pammy
14th-October-2003, 10:36 AM
Originally posted by Divissima
the Hammersmith competition has a way to go to make the grade.

We completely agreed with this (we as in she and she).

For the record, Helen was up there 20 times on Sunday and was knackered by the end of it, but had thoroughly enjoyed her day. The top stayed on (despite a worrying moment towards the end of the day:wink: ), which was the most important thing!

Greg looked great in his outfit, he's the only man that could pull off wearing a colour like that well :grin: Still got your little present by the way Sheepy. You looked fab with Chris as well, especially with little time for practice beforehand.:grin:

Diva, you danced so well, and looked amazing; I loved that red skirt you had on.:grin:

Tony deserved a medal for putting up with me and my nerves :sorry!

Kate looked stunning; she really does look so beautiful up there on the floor; red is definitely her colour and some of the moves she does are so great to watch; I'm always opened mouthed on the edge when she and Will are up there performing.

In short, a fun day had by all. Over and out for now.

Pammy x

Bill
14th-October-2003, 10:41 AM
and just to add my congrats to all the winners but of course especially to Brady and Janet !!! :D :cheers: Does this mean you two will be banned from Intermediate level now :wink: Have to grab a dance with you both so I can say I've danced with Champions !!!!!

A pity we couldn't make it but sounds like great fun and appears to be no complaints with the decisions :what: Who else was judging ???

Brady
14th-October-2003, 12:38 PM
Just to add to the others comments about how great an event the BritRoc comp. was. Very well organised for the first year holding it. A venue with a superb atmosphere, clean, and good acoustics! The floor was a bit slippy, but it was the same for everyone. I too was wrecked by the end of the comp., having danced 12 rounds between the two categories (was this due to the McGregor judging method, and hence why extra rounds were required? If so, might want to consider a wee alteration to prevent killing people in the future!) I entered. Big thanks to my DWAS partner who not only carried me through to a 4th place, but also placed 3rd in the advanced with her partner!

Most of all though, a big thanks to Janet for entering with me. After injuring myself, we hadn't really danced together for about a month before last Wed. and the party on Sat., so weren't really confident we were ready. She gave her all and we both enjoyed ourselves, even during our bad round when we were certain we were goners!


Originally posted by Bill
Does this mean you two will be banned from Intermediate level now

This was the first time that Janet and I have entered together and was good fun with a great result. If we do enter anything again, we will move up to advanced, as one should do (although neither of us are keen going up against the advanced dancers!).


Originally posted by Bill
Who else was judging ???

Can't remember if all the judges names were mentioned already, but the seven were (in no particular order): David & Lily, Nigel & Nina, Mark & Jackie, and Keith (C2D).

Minnie M, do I know you? Have we danced before? If not, please reveal yourself the next time you see me (no plans to be down till next year, unless work brings me down).

Brady

Andy McGregor
14th-October-2003, 12:56 PM
Originally posted by Brady
I too was wrecked by the end of the comp., having danced 12 rounds between the two categories (was this due to the McGregor judging method, and hence why extra rounds were required? If so, might want to consider a wee alteration to prevent killing people in the future!) I entered. Brady

The judging method simply allows you to fairly choose a pre-selected number of dancers to promote. The decision about how many rounds and how many people to promote in each round was nothing to do with the method.

Of course, your brilliant dancing was what wore you out. If you'd not put so much into it you wouldn't have been so tired, you would have been eliminated in an earlier round and would not have been wrecked by the end:devil:

Speaking personally, I find the costume changes the most tiring and nerve-wracking thing about competitions - especially if I have to queue for my bag at the cloakroom each time like at Hammersmith. At Blackpool this year I got mixed up and changed into my complete double-trouble 'Hooker' outfit with stockings, suspenders, tights to hide my hairy legs, fishnets, wig, Lycra (tm) leotard and tutu only to find that it was my intermediate heat next and I had to change completely in about 5 minutes:tears:

Will
14th-October-2003, 01:06 PM
Originally posted by Minnie M
I thought the Blackpool Hall is far superior to Hove Town Hall/Centre (which has a floor like an icerink) and what about Hammersmith Palais, the floor may not be as good but the atmosphere far outways Hove.

AND the organisers for both Blackpool and Hammersmith were working with a lot lot more numbers than the relatively small Hove event.


Got to agree with Minnie M here. I particularly love the electric atmostphere that you get at Hammersmith, and of course the overall loveliness and practicality of Blackpool. But its like comparing apples with pears. Both those comps have been runing quite a few years and have far larger numbers.

But Britroc was so superbly put together and organised. It surely has to be the first dance comp that's ever run to time :grin: (heck it was even running ahead of time at one point!)

I also though Graham LeClerc was a natural as an MC. He is a born showman and it clearly came through - very entertaining.

My only personal gripe was that the floor was too slippy. I'm sure others will have preferred the fast floor though, so I guess I'm gonna have to live with that.

Mary
14th-October-2003, 01:35 PM
Just got off the plane and had to log on to find out how Sunday went. Gutted I had to duck out at short notice.:tears:

Sounds like it was a great event, so even more gutted that I missed it.:tears: :tears: But huge thanks to Christine for partnering Sheepy (who could wish for a better stand in!!) and making the finals. Now I will always be wondering if the result would have been similar if I had been able to make it, or would I have let Sheepy down. I think perhaps I did him a favour by having to drop out :wink: Bloody well done Greg mate - I'm really chuffed for you.:cheers:

M

Sheepman
14th-October-2003, 01:51 PM
Originally posted by Mary
I will always be wondering if the result would have been similar if I had been able to make it
We would have won! (well maybe a few provisos there!) (And that's absolutely no criticism of Christine who was fab and great fun, just that less than 1/2 an hour's freestyle practice isn't enough.)
Welcome back, hope the trip went well, and the jetlag is manageable.

G x

David Franklin
14th-October-2003, 01:52 PM
Originally posted by Will
But Britroc was so superbly put together and organised. It surely has to be the first dance comp that's ever run to time :grin: To be fair to Ceroc, every year I've been to Hammersmith (i.e. not last year), it has stayed incredibly close to the schedule (+/- 3 mins or so!).

Of course Blackpool still comes top in practically every other respect...

Dave

Easter Bunny
14th-October-2003, 04:45 PM
Nice report Mr Sheepman - just a little addition as this may be the first and last time my friend and I get a mention as 'winners' - my full name is Lesley Wyrill and my Seniors section parner was Sue Halliday ( alias the Bunny Girls!) - both from Bristol - so all you good dancers out there consider visiting Bristol now and again, apart from the dancing, Bristol and even more so, Bath are both great cities just for a weekend visit anytime, or just a couple of hours travel for an evening dance - we travel all over to get the opportunity to dance with different partners.

I managed to win the DWAS with the fantastic Sui Fai ( I hope I was'nt too painful for him, he so so nice and very patient) - especially having to wait for me to rip off my bunny costume to change back to my DWAS outift. I have always admired his style of dancing, but never dreamt I would enter, yet alone win a comp. with him. I am still on cloud 9!

Also a double wammy for me - Sue and I won third place in the Seniors and at 7.15pm! (at our age at the end of a long day following just 2 hours sleep the night before, it was quite taxing). We did'nt dance as well on the day as we have in practice so we were both gobsmacked to get 3rd.

I had to really coaxe Sue to wear the Bunny costume, but I wanted to make it as 'fun' as possible and the 'place' has spurred us on to give comps. another go.

The whole event was brilliant, congratulations to Graham, Sarah and I gather Andy in the beginning for running a very professional and slick event. Yes the floor was slippy, but suited me as long as I had trainers on and made spinning fast and smooth. Sarah looked stunning as always and Graham's suit was beautifully tailored - (sorry about that - slipped into my shopaholic mode for a minute............) Can't wait till next year.

Three other people I would also like to mention whilst I am gabbling on - whilst I was suffering from severe leg cramp during costume changes, a young girl on the crew; a member of the Moulin Rouge team and especially Ben (physio) (young Ben with vest and white braces with his mum and daughter - sorry useless with surnames). He stopped warming up / practising with his partner behind the screen to give me physio on my leg - a big thank you.

So many people said really nice things to me yesterday and have restored my faith in my dancing ability I was beginning to think I was old and past it. So a BIG THANK YOU to those people.

Lesley (and Sue)

Andy McGregor
14th-October-2003, 05:04 PM
Originally posted by Easter Bunny
So many people said really nice things to me yesterday and have restored my faith in my dancing ability I was beginning to think I was old and past it. So a BIG THANK YOU to those people.

Lesley (and Sue)

Neither of you is 'old and past it'. You've both revived my older woman fantasy - you're probably only 3 years older than me, but it's still a fantasy. And you're both great dancers too:waycool:


Originally posted by Easter Bunny
especially having to wait for me to rip off my bunny costume to change back to my DWAS outfit.
Lesley (and Sue)

I'm sure you could have recruited some wardrobe assistants to speed up this onerous task:devil:

p.s. Any chance that bunny outfit would fit me?:wink:

Lou
15th-October-2003, 09:28 AM
Originally posted by Easter Bunny
So many people said really nice things to me yesterday and have restored my faith in my dancing ability I was beginning to think I was old and past it. :grin: I've told you before what a fabulous dancer you are - but you weren't having any of it! Perhaps now you'll believe us! Well done on your deserved results! :nice:

(In case you're wondering who I am - I think the last time we chatted we were bemoaning the lack of available water @ Kingswood....)

Sonic
15th-October-2003, 01:47 PM
Just thought I'd add my comments on the Britroc competition:

Admin: apart from the queuing in the cold which delayed the start of the competition, the administration was fine. Other people have already mentioned how well Graham did to keep it on time. What I don't think has been mentioned was his excellent staff who were all very friendly and helpful, and easily identified with their crew t-shirts.

Venue: it was the right size for this event, good lighting, nice fast floor, and the layout catered well for spectators, with the judges sitting with the audience. There was a small problem with people looking over the judges' shoulders to see the marking; perhaps a screen needs to be erected behind the judges, although that would obscure the view for some. I liked the generously sized separate practice area for competitors. Glad to see there was no confiscating of food/drinks/bags!

Music: without a doubt the best I've heard in any competition. It was the kind of stuff you hear on any normal jive night - I think that competition music should reflect that - and resulted in high quality dancing. Competitors danced to a fast track and a slow track in all heats, not just the finals, which I liked, but it was knackering.

Judging: 7 highly respected judges, and judging method published well in advance, so there can be no complaints there. The results were posted in lightning quick time: I don't know whether that's to do with the judging method, the smaller numbers, or the efficiency of the staff, probably a combination of all three. One criticism is the "dance off" rounds, where competitors were recalled presumably because the call back method resulted in as many as 4 couples with equal scores. Nobody told the competitors that even if you haven't qualified for the next round, doesn't mean you're out! I think one intermediate couple had already left... Also, why was the advanced finals split into 2 heats? I think you need to see all the finalists together.

Prizes: as the marketing boasts, these were the biggest prizes offered in any competition in the UK. What I thought was a nice touch was that all the finalists got something, even if they weren't placed in the top 3. OK, so they were Britroc towels, but I thought it showed an appreciation of the effort of the competitors.

Overall, a great competition which deserves its place on the jive calendar.

Minnie M
15th-October-2003, 03:43 PM
Originally posted by DavidB

There are effectively 2 national competitions (Blackpool and Hammersmith) and 3 regional ones (Scotland, Bristol and Brighton)

For a Regional competition and for a first time, ALL the BritRoc team including Andy Mc deserve a well earned pat on the back.

Just out of interest - were there many spectators ? From what I heard £25 for just watching with very little freestyle did put a lot of people off.

The competition day should be for everyone, not just the competitors. Blackpool comp is on a Saturday, finishes at 2am and tickets are £20

Daphne
15th-October-2003, 07:25 PM
There are effectively 2 national competitions (Blackpool and Hammersmith) and 3 regional ones (Scotland, Bristol and Brighton)

Scotland is a region???????????? :what:

Forte
15th-October-2003, 08:09 PM
Originally posted by Scooby Doo
Scotland is a region???????????? :what:

You tell 'em Dave! Oh and good luck on Saturday!:D

TheTramp
15th-October-2003, 08:11 PM
Originally posted by Forte
You tell 'em Dave! Oh and good luck on Saturday!:D Ummm. It was the other Scooby who said that :D

Steve

Forte
15th-October-2003, 08:13 PM
I KNEW that! And I was just supposed to sort it out when you beat me to it. Shouldn't you be studying law or something smarty pants!:kiss:

DavidB
15th-October-2003, 08:41 PM
Originally posted by Scooby Doo
Scotland is a region????????????In the same way that Blackpool is a Nation.

Of course if a competition were held in Yorkshire, it would be considered as the World Championships.

TheTramp
15th-October-2003, 09:11 PM
Originally posted by DavidB
Of course if a competition were held in Yorkshire, it would be considered as the World Championships. But would probably result in a 4-0 loss :wink:

Steve

Will
15th-October-2003, 11:54 PM
Originally posted by TheTramp
But would probably result in a 4-0 loss :wink:

Steve

:rofl:

Will
15th-October-2003, 11:59 PM
You could argue that with the number of Aussie's that came over to Hammersmith this year, that it is almost an international event now. I also hear rumours of a possible foreign assault on Blackpool next year too!