Zone championships (part 2)

At 9 am the team events began. Thick white tape drew eight crosses on the floor. The taped makers were in a configuration of 3 - 2 - 3 (front, middle, back). I'm not sure if the arrangement can be changed to 4 - 4 or if there were different markers that I was oblivious to.

When it was time to dance, direct and peripheral vision - affectionately known as 'team eyes' - set in. Unlike my club's hall, this venue had lined floors which amplified the problem of spacing if we weren't in line with our teammates in front, side or diagonally. Luckily, our team eyes allowed for quick, subtle adjustments to set us back in clean, straight lines.  

From my limited team experience, I've concluded that the first 32 counts of warm-up must include travelling steps so team members can move from a starting formation to the set configuration.

Throughout the routines, I felt that time slowed down. Perhaps this was the result of having an impressive venue, sound took longer to reverberate from the walls.

The get-on and get-off allows for creative choreography usually set by the teacher (I've heard that these components are not judged). My novice ladies' team had a comparatively straightforward get-off. Other teams had fancy, cabaret-esque, theatrical moves with half the members in alternating positions, for example, four with hands up and four with hands down. Mexican waves were also popular among well-rehearsed teams.

Zone championships (part 1)

It's a tradition at my club to have a pre-competition gathering at one lady's home. At this occasion, we do each others' hair and physie daughters play with each other. Styling hair the night before makes me wonder if I'd ever fall asleep. The concoction of hairspray and volumising powder as I sleep is not a scent that I prefer. Amazingly, once you fall asleep you do not realise the scent nor the pain until you are woken up by stabbing bobby pins and hair being stretched.

I would like to thank P for your hospitality, welcoming us to your home every year, and K for making my hair look physie.

In the morning, I was woken up by my phone's alarm. The hair survived the night. I ate some breakfast, put on some makeup sans lipstick and headed off to the venue. Upon arrival I found my club's area. Some other clubs' areas were left vacant as they did not have novice or intermediate teams which were the first events of the day.

I checked out the hair accessories. Team events are the only time that BjP allows ladies to wear headbands, ribbons, flowers and other decorations in our hair. Some clubs used club coloured flowers and scrunchies which I thought were very clever. 

With the draw order up on the walls, I realised that there were quite a few more intermediate teams than novice. Two floors ran simultaneously and the same club never competed at the same time allowing teachers and supporters to give their full attention when one of their teams were performing.