Atlanta Convention, Day 3

The official opening ceremonies of the convention were mercifully brief, as was the grand march portion. The announcements & greetings were suitably edited for time and the national anthems went well. I'd be happier if the 20 year medallion portion was handled more speedily but that's not likely to happen under current management.

Saturday was my day for dancing. It was luck of the calendar and scheduling that all of my square dance calling gigs, club photos, memorial sessions, specialty tips and included meals would land on Sunday and Monday, leaving Saturday for dancing exclusively. And I took full advantage!

I spent my day hopping between the C1 and C2 dance halls, joining a square when I desired and sitting out when the mood struck.

We're now officially registered for the 2013 IAGSDC convention, "Weave Your Heart in San Francisco." We considered standing in line for the early bird discount registrations (the first 100 at 3pm on Sunday) but ultimately decided we'd rather dance than stand in line. We can still get a modestly discounted registration rate by paying before the weekend is over.

Our evening largely ended with the leather tip called by John Marshall and Anne Uebelacker. I didn't dance at all during that, but I did get some photos.

Atlanta Convention, Day 3

The official opening ceremonies of the convention were mercifully brief, as was the grand march portion. The announcements & greetings were suitably edited for time and the national anthems went well. I'd be happier if the 20 year medallion portion was handled more speedily but that's not likely to happen under current management.

Saturday was my day for dancing. It was luck of the calendar and scheduling that all of my square dance calling gigs, club photos, memorial sessions, specialty tips and included meals would land on Sunday and Monday, leaving Saturday for dancing exclusively. And I took full advantage!

I spent my day hopping between the C1 and C2 dance halls, joining a square when I desired and sitting out when the mood struck.

We're now officially registered for the 2013 IAGSDC convention, "Weave Your Heart in San Francisco." We considered standing in line for the early bird discount registrations (the first 100 at 3pm on Sunday) but ultimately decided we'd rather dance than stand in line. We can still get a modestly discounted registration rate by paying before the weekend is over.

Our evening largely ended with the leather tip called by John Marshall and Anne Uebelacker. I didn't dance at all during that, but I did get some photos.

Atlanta Convention, Day 4

Sunday was my day of work.

The morning with me I calling a half-hour of C1 in a special caller spotlight. There were several such half-hour sessions simultaneous with mine at different programs. The sessions were opposite the fun badge tour, however, draining off a large percentage of the dancers. Many dancers aren't keen on early mornings either. And most need coffee more than they need dancing. Still, I got lucky in my session in that I began with one square and ended the half-hour with three squares. Some of the other halls didn't have enough dancers for a single square, or only one square at best.

I attended the bear tip that same afternoon, called by Andy Shore and Gary Monday. Again, there were many good photos to be had --I'm still sorting through them all.

Kent was delighted to wear his new kilt at the kilt tip. He was one of only a handful who weren't wearing a Utilikilt.

Dinner was very nice. Again, the ceremonies were relatively light and well-executed. The longest portion was the awarding of the 10 year medallions; despite being one of the recipients this year, I would prefer this portion of the show be dramatically accelerated if at all possible.

bjarvis & kent4str with their new 10 year medallions

When the dust settled after dinner, we bounced around the C1 and C2 halls, ending with a great C2 hour called by Sandie Bryant and Vic Ceder. (It helped that we stacked the square with great dancers.)

Brian & Dr Mark invited us back to their room for cocktails after the dancing. It was fun but we were up far too late into the night.

Atlanta Convention, Day 4

Sunday was my day of work.

The morning with me I calling a half-hour of C1 in a special caller spotlight. There were several such half-hour sessions simultaneous with mine at different programs. The sessions were opposite the fun badge tour, however, draining off a large percentage of the dancers. Many dancers aren't keen on early mornings either. And most need coffee more than they need dancing. Still, I got lucky in my session in that I began with one square and ended the half-hour with three squares. Some of the other halls didn't have enough dancers for a single square, or only one square at best.

I attended the bear tip that same afternoon, called by Andy Shore and Gary Monday. Again, there were many good photos to be had --I'm still sorting through them all.

Kent was delighted to wear his new kilt at the kilt tip. He was one of only a handful who weren't wearing a Utilikilt.

Dinner was very nice. Again, the ceremonies were relatively light and well-executed. The longest portion was the awarding of the 10 year medallions; despite being one of the recipients this year, I would prefer this portion of the show be dramatically accelerated if at all possible.

bjarvis & kent4str with their new 10 year medallions

When the dust settled after dinner, we bounced around the C1 and C2 halls, ending with a great C2 hour called by Sandie Bryant and Vic Ceder. (It helped that we stacked the square with great dancers.)

Brian & Dr Mark invited us back to their room for cocktails after the dancing. It was fun but we were up far too late into the night.

Atlanta Convention, Day 5

Monday started slow --and it was just as well, since I was running on only a few hours of sleep.

Brunch was a buffet: the customary scrambled eggs, bacon & hash browns. Any day is a good day that starts with bacon. Lots of bacon.

Beyond all of that, I didn't dance a great deal Monday. Kent called a C1 tip at noon while I called an Advanced tip at 1pm and C1 at 5pm.

In both of my tips, some dancers were having a hell of a time with the simplest calls. Under no circumstances should "spin the top" crash an Advanced square; likewise, "cross chain & roll" shouldn't break down a C1 square. In each situation, I could see several dancers trying to execute the call and attempting to direct the slower dancers, but the newbies --I presume they were all new graduates-- were sometimes spinning in the spot because they couldn't decide where to go and weren't listening for my clear directions ("You have lines facing in. No, really, you have lines facing in. In, not out. You: U turn back. No, not you... *you*.") Later in the day, I had other dancers who were in successful squares thanking me for the calling and reaffirming that it wasn't the calls, it was indeed the newer dancers. Next year, I'm sure these folks will be fine --and we'll have a new crop of new graduates. I was one of those dancers at least once per call list so I can hardly complain.

I had hoped to get to billeyler's hexagon set but didn't get there in time. *sigh* caller_dayle's take-no-prisoners Advanced hour was a blast, especially again since we stacked the square with known strong dancers.

The closing dance and ceremonies were once again mercifully light. Endings are always a little sad but it's been a good weekend and I'm ready to head for home Tuesday.

Atlanta Convention, Day 5

Monday started slow --and it was just as well, since I was running on only a few hours of sleep.

Brunch was a buffet: the customary scrambled eggs, bacon & hash browns. Any day is a good day that starts with bacon. Lots of bacon.

Beyond all of that, I didn't dance a great deal Monday. Kent called a C1 tip at noon while I called an Advanced tip at 1pm and C1 at 5pm.

In both of my tips, some dancers were having a hell of a time with the simplest calls. Under no circumstances should "spin the top" crash an Advanced square; likewise, "cross chain & roll" shouldn't break down a C1 square. In each situation, I could see several dancers trying to execute the call and attempting to direct the slower dancers, but the newbies --I presume they were all new graduates-- were sometimes spinning in the spot because they couldn't decide where to go and weren't listening for my clear directions ("You have lines facing in. No, really, you have lines facing in. In, not out. You: U turn back. No, not you... *you*.") Later in the day, I had other dancers who were in successful squares thanking me for the calling and reaffirming that it wasn't the calls, it was indeed the newer dancers. Next year, I'm sure these folks will be fine --and we'll have a new crop of new graduates. I was one of those dancers at least once per call list so I can hardly complain.

I had hoped to get to billeyler's hexagon set but didn't get there in time. *sigh* caller_dayle's take-no-prisoners Advanced hour was a blast, especially again since we stacked the square with known strong dancers.

The closing dance and ceremonies were once again mercifully light. Endings are always a little sad but it's been a good weekend and I'm ready to head for home Tuesday.