We're back in the world of competitive dancing, this time, with our son. In seventh grade he and several friends tried ballroom dance and loved it--a bunch have stuck with it. Yesterday morning he came in at 6:00 am and asked for help with his make-up. Nick later said, "If I'd known 15 years ago that one day my son would come into my room at 6:00 am to ask for help his his make-up . . . " (I won't print the rest).
I'm getting used to the hairspray, mascara, and fake tans. Sort of. I noticed that most kids from most schools didn't look tan (unlike the kids from our kids' school), so I might protest silently. I suppose I should get used to competition culture, because we have several competitions this year. I didn't mind going to yesterday's meet--it was 10 minutes from home and I like watching dancing. But I now understand why each school holds its own: to benefit from judge bias (and to make money so teams can compete at all the other meets). In the team events, the host high school won both of the events they competed in and the best thing about their performances was their costumes. Their formations were pretty good too, but they didn't deserve to win.
Then I got to thinking that judge bias factors into every competition, though it's not always clear what the biases are. We like to think that judges are fair and awards are earned, but judges are biased and sometimes award winners are lucky.
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