General Impressions:
- Attendance seemed to be down a little from last year, but the rampant enthusiasm made it almost unnoticeable. The upside: the dance floor never got so crowded that you had to thank the couples all around you (as well as your partner) for each dance.
- It was still a great turnout and a great place to see good friends. While the majority of attendees came from the western U.S., the far corners of the country and Canada were also well represented.
- As usual, there was disagreement about the music mix (more on the social dance selection this year than on the comp tunes). About 463 people know exactly what was wrong with it; unfortunately, they have about 463 solutions for fixing it.
Things that were different this year:
- The GPSDC arranged more reasonable weather (thanks, folks): it was 10-15 degrees friendlier than last year. It was cool enough to sleep on the balcony (and I did).
- The ballroom was also a bit cooler, which was a very welcome change.
- The preliminaries for the Champion of Champions Jack & Jill were scheduled for Friday night, but some of the Champions didn’t notice. So the Champions J&J was held without prelims on Saturday night.
- There was no mudslide riot, and no rope-equipped mob looking for the hotel manager
Things that haven’t changed:
- The Camelback Inn is the finest stop on the WCS circuit. Staying there at the convention price makes the trip worthwhile – even without the dancing.
- The pool was still a very popular place for daytime relaxation.
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- The water faucets are still labeled “Hot” and “Hotter”.
- WCS dancers keep getting better and better. All of the finals heats were exciting. There is much less difference in dance ability between the winners in Novice and those in All Stars than there is across any of the competitive classes.
- The GPSDC still puts on a great convention while still offering reasonable ticket and hotel prices. The club’s board and its volunteer staff all deserve our sincere gratitude.
- The drive to Phoenix. Half a day’s worth of activity, but not too taxing. Light traffic, easier to schedule than flying. Much cheaper, too, if you carpool. Ho-hummm.
Things overheard this year:
- From some SoCal dancers: “John, we’ve watched you dance many, many times and we agree: that was the best we’ve ever seen. Great three-way partnership! You and Valerie certainly deserve to have won. Congratulations!”
- From a more experienced follower to a younger one (at a chance meeting at an ice machine): “You know, once you get to 38 or so, you absolutely have to consider lesbianism.” [And here I had the impression that as leaders (on the dance floor, at least), men have something to offer. Better take a big step back on 1, guys.]
Special note to all Champion leaders and hopefuls:
- Benji will probably be back next year. When he left us, he could do things that we could hardly believe. Maybe he’ll be rusty when he gets back, but... maybe not. The best advice: don’t slack off.
See you next year in Phoenix!
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