2020 club competition

This year's club competition was unforgettable! The event aligned with 2020's theme of expecting the unexpected. We, the novice/intermediate ladies, were just about to finish our floordrill routine when the blackout started. Some ladies joked that we could use this to our advantage as the judges would miss fine details. 

Family members were allowed to watch the show which was held in a large arena venue. However, the march past with our sashes and the men's marching challenge were cancelled. These two proceedings are a crowd favourite each year. 

I love how the annual club competition gives the club community a yearly gathering to watch and celebrate girls and ladies flourishing at physie. Thank you teachers, volunteers, supporters, venue staff, and my clubmates for making this year's event so special. 

Read more:

2018 Club competition

2016 Club competition 

2020 competitions: Team championships

My team competition earlier this month was the first time I've danced in front of judges all year. This year, I had opted to skip the individual championships due to not having any interclubs. 

My favourite of teams was the figure marching at the beginning of the warm up where 4 x 8 counts of the individual warm up were omitted to accommodate the cool choreography. We did a windmill pattern and it was spectacular! I wish we had gotten a video to self-evaluate as a team. 

This year, I was front-left, a position I'd been in for most teams. We had 5 spectators - 2 judges and 3 teachers from our club. Perhaps, this was even more intimidating as we only had experts watching us and not a sea of supporters from across the zone. 

We placed and got a frilly medal! It was great to have our team efforts recognised. 

Thank you to my intermediate teammates. Also, extraordinary effort to the novice team as it was the first competition for some physie newcomers. Thank you D who volunteered to do our hair, your generosity and expertise is truly appreciated. Thank you to our teachers S & L for preparing us for the weekend. Finally, thank you to the supporters cheering on from afar. 

Read more:

2019 teams

2018 zone championships

2017 teams

Physie online/ April 2020 lesson journal

Our classes have moved to an online platform where members can share and upload progress videos and asking teachers/group members for feedback. Just last week, the club launched live lessons so that we get the motivation to dance at our normal times and learn routines as if we were at class.

A benefit of the online platform is that we get access to the tutorials throughout the week which might help learning routines. We can also pause, rewind and slow down the speed of the recordings.

However, a few pitfalls include the lack of social interaction (especially our prolonged drink breaks), no peripheral vision, re-watching can get boring, view is sometimes obscured (figuring out the intricacies of each move). Also, I am yet to figure out how to use the online platform to filter tasks I haven't completed.

So far, I have mastered only the warm-up and exercises routines ... Three more to learn.
Thank you to the teachers and volunteers who make remote physie fun!

1 month to go. Physie birthday celebrations!

The countdown clock has finally ticked down the last month before the BjP 125 Year Spectacular!

The Spectacular is a mass display telling the story of the Bjelke-Petersen School of Physical Culture's rich and evolving history. It can be likened to the Sydney 2000 Olympics display but this time instead of 800 performers there's 2000! Over 30 choreographers, and an army of behind-the-scenes helpers have created a 2 hour show capturing the talent and strength of physie performers. 

Girls and ladies from 16 zones across Australia are taking part in this great event (not to mention the families and supporters). They've dedicated their weekends to practices, learning new moves on top of their regular syllabus. Most zones have scheduled five compulsory rehearsals in the lead up to this event and the final dress rehearsal is the day before the performance.

However, getting 2000 girls from across Australia to Sydney for the Spectacular comes at a cost. To the teachers, parents and supporters who are volunteering their time and all the clubs helping to fund-raise to get their girls to Sydney, your efforts are truly appreciated. Thank you for giving the physie community a once-in-a-lifetime experience. While I am not participating, I have heard wonderful stories from my physie classmates and their daughters who are performing in this grand event. 

Catch all the action on Saturday June 24, 7:30pm at the Qudos Bank Arena (Sydney SuperDome). With a seating capacity of over 18000, it's not too late to get your tickets. Also, BjP (partnered with Cooper Teamwear) has a line of limited edition active-wear and merchandise for its 125th year birthday celebrations.