This article was written at the request of the
publisher and published in West Coast Swing America Magazine in the Spring of
1998, shortly after my first Jack and Jill success in a major national
event. Although it’s main purpose is
entertainment, the reader may find it informative, as well.
Anatomy of a Jack & Jill Victory
by
Mike Corbett
I’m the least lucky West Coast Swing Jack & Jill competitor I know. The one
time I actually made the finals in a National event, my partner and I just
didn’t click.
Never
having placed in the "Novice" division is kind of discouraging when
people think you’re an Advanced dancer. Now that most events have done away
with the Novice moniker in favor of Intermediate it doesn’t feel so bad.
There was never anything novice about the dance ability displayed by the
winners of the Newcomer divisions either. To call the division just below
Advanced, the Intermediate Division sure makes sense to me.
So
it’s off to Monterey for Swingfest and another (Intermediate now) Jack &
Jill. The forty or so pairs of contestants were divided into two heats, with
each contestant dancing with three different partners to three different
songs. The last song was a slow one, to "separate the men from the
boys" if you will. It works for me but some people just don’t know what
to do with the slow slinky songs. Too bad for them.
An
hour or so after the preliminaries the posted list showed that I lucked out and
made the top fifteen for the semi-finals. With the format the same, I got
three pretty good partners. The last one, (Debbie Rakfeldt) for the slow
song, is a lady who’s one of my favorites. She’s a double favorite now
because she managed to save me from falling out of a one foot spin right in
front of the Chief Judge. As it ended up, she reached out, grabbed my hand
and I fell into the slot to lead just what I had in mind. I’m sure the judge
nearest to me saw the bad technique but that was better than all the judges
seeing me stagger five feet from my partner. If she hadn’t reached out and
grabbed me we both would have been cooked. Whew! A truly great save!!!
Then
we had to wait. There was no posting of finalists. All of us had to be ready
to dance when they announced the finalists. So I rested, had a small meal,
knocked back a shot of Crown Royal, and got back into my dancing clothes to
await the call if it came. In this field of top competitors I’m not expecting
to make the top five for the finals but I’m ready, just in case. To my
surprise, my name is the first one called for finals. I actually ran out onto
the floor looking quite foolish, I suppose, but who cares?
The
rest of the field included some great ladies and all the men had placed more
than once before. My own energy was running so high, I couldn’t even think
about that. I was thrilled, delighted, and flattered to be part of the group.
As it turned out we danced in the order we were called out, so I’m first,
better known as the "death" position. Dancing first means that
whatever you do, all the other competitors get to see it and take their best
shot at you (unless, of course, you fall down!). But at least you’re in
"first place" until the next couple dances.
I
had danced once before with the partner I drew (Sandra Koehler) but it
had been a couple of months ago. There was no time to think about it anyway.
She mumbled something about how she wished she had asked me to dance earlier
in the evening but before I know it the music started. Wow, it’s a very fast
song with lots of hard-hitting breaks and accents. Just my kind of song, I
think.
Actually
the song was so fast with so many breaks to hit that it kept me from even
thinking about doing some of my hottest and most risky moves. No time for any
72 count Mario patterns when you have to watch out for a break every few
seconds. We danced what I considered "OK." It felt pretty good and
the only little glitches I remembered were at the end of free spins where
nobody really knows what you intended to do anyway!
After
hugging and walking my partner back to her chair, I sat down in mine and
can’t remember if I did anything but side passes and basics, or hit a break
with anything but a push and a lunge. I’ll have to wait for the video to see
for sure. As I watched the other five couples dance, I figured we did better
than two of them easy. That means if we managed to beat David Infante and his
partner, who had been on a hot streak, I might have a chance to place. I feel
good though, because no matter what the outcome, I finally got lucky with a
great partner, a great song for my kind of dancing, and I didn’t fall down!
Leaving
the floor a friend said to me, "I have you third." That sounded
good to me, so I recited my feelings about how maybe we were third if I beat
Infante. During the next couple hours, while waiting for the results, three
different people whose judgment I trust actually told me they thought we won
the thing. I wasn’t about to let my hopes get up though.
Then
came the awards. As the couple I picked as the winners were awarded third
place, I started to hope a little. When the couple I picked second was
awarded second, a friend standing next to me who picked me third said,
"So, did Infante win?" Calmly, I turned to him and said, "No,"
just an instant before my name and my partner’s were announced the winners!
West
Coast Swing dancing is big in California. I had no idea I was such a hero.
I’m writing this now twelve days later and people are still calling me
"Champ." My friends shared my victory, celebrating by "gang
dancing" me at our regular Top of Beardsley’s Wednesday night dance. I’m
soaking up all I can for now because three weeks after Monterey Swingfest,
Capital Swing in Sacramento will rev into action. The odds are I’ll be
congratulating some other lucky winner in just a few days.