Hi everyone;

my little one-well, she is just about 13, has found herself a partner-or, should I say he found her as opposed to her looking for one. Not sure what we got ourselves into. He apparently had a partner until last April but was looking for one over the past year because she wasn't serious about it, so they had split up last April and he wasn't finding what he was looking for. The coaches talked about it and arranged tryouts with different people (our coaches too, s they are dance coaches) and he had two tryouts before her because we were not around-March break and all. So they had their tryout last week, it was all very sudden.

He had the opportunity to try out with at least one or two other girls but after their tryout told the coaches he had found what he was looking for and didn't want to try out with anyone else. In their tryout he was a real little gentleman, they tried a lift and he didn't put her down properly so she fell and he picked her up. The boy seems committed, has agreed to come to her coaches (they being worlds level ice dance competitors in their day) and is even willing to travel to her rink. We must have a gem or something because I'm told the good ones who will come to you are really hard to find. Though our coaches told them that the tiny girls who can actually dance but haven't passed all their dances are just as hard to find. and he seems pretty small for 13 himself. (both have just turned)

So-what do you do the first year-coaches are trying to decide and we are supposed to chat about it next month-should we go Senior bronze provincials (thereby getting more competing time thru the season) or should we go juvenile-letting them get the chance to do sectionals and be seen before jumping pre-novice. Thinking now because it determines the choreo and the training time through summer. His mom likes the sectionals idea-we're just not sure. Seems like a good idea, but what about more competitions, rest of year? coaches are sure they will go to all Ontarios and medal, perhaps even win. Coaches are trying to determine if this is worth a trip to Canadians at juvenile level-they say there isn't much in WOS right now so the chances are very good at juvenile...I think it seems a bit presumptuous-however well they look together-to try to decide this quickly.

Any thoughts, tips, suggestions about anything to do with dance? Apparently we need three dresses at juvenile? Ha ha....on top of freeskate..

I'm in the U.S., so I'm not all that familiar with the system in Canada, but your last comment made me grin. They need three dresses for Juvenile and it only gets worse At my rink, the older girls (we have several elite senior teams) often sell their old dresses to the Novice and Junior girls, and it drives my mom nuts that we can never take advantage of this as I'm four inches shorter than all of our senior girls and am definitely done growing! (It drives me nuts too- their dresses are all so pretty!) Luckily my mom can sew, so we don't end up shelling out the $$$ to have dresses custom made. It gets outrageous- I know the Novices usually have four dresses (three CD's and a FD) in by Junior I think it's up to five. Part of why I love dance

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!