HOW SENIOR TOURNAMENTS IN UKRAINE TURN INTO A JOKE
The fact that a 20-year-old dancer entered the senior’s category is nonsense. But for the sake of winning, some couples use gaps in the tournament rules.
Something similar took place at the Parade of Hope tournament in Kiev. These competitions are traditional, have rich history, and are popular among dancers. In a word, a bright festival of dance. However, this year things went south. Unfortunately, it happened exactly in the senior category.
In the European program the second place went to a couple from Kharkiv: Maxim Lementarenko and Veronica Biryukova. Though Maxim matches the senior’s age, Veronica became a concern. According to the Flymark portal, the athlete is only 20 years old.
As you know, there is an international classification of the category “Seniors”. For example, according to the WDSF rules in the category “Seniors-1” the senior partner should be at least 35 years old, and the junior partner should be at least 30 years old, in “Seniors-2” – 45 and 40 years, in “Senors-3” – 55 and 50 years old, in “Senors-4” – 65 and 60 years old respectively.
WDC has a slightly different age gradation – 30, 40, 50, 60 for both partners. In some Ukrainian federations the participation of a junior partner starting from 28 years is allowed by the rules. But in any case, 20 years for the senior category is a clear violation of rules.
Today this issue is actively discussed among seniors in social networks and various groups. Questions arise both for the organizers of the tournament, and for the pair itself. There is a version that the rules suggested that only one of the partners should belong to a senior category, and the second one can be of any age.
Well, the organizers of the tournament can make up any rules (if their organization isn’t a part of an international organization and does not follow their rules). This can go as far as allowing the participants to dance in sports suits and perform samba figures in the slow waltz. As they say, dealer’s choice. But then the very spirit of senor’s dancing gets lost, as well as the competitive atmosphere. It is difficult for partners who are over 40 and often over 50 to compete with the partner of their daughters’ age. 20 years is 20 years, after all.
There is also a question for the couple itself: is it interesting for them to compete in this format? Still, I would like the tournament participants to have respect for each other, and the tournament organizers have respect for the senior couples.
In one word, from the point of view of senor’s dance logic, what happened at the “Parade of Hopes” is organizers’ mistake and a blow to the reputation of the competition.
As for everything else, the tournament in the senior category was as spectacular and interesting as usual.
The first place in the standard was taken by Vladimir Grin and Olga Grin from Dnipro (Renaissance club), the third place was taken by Yuri Voronov – Rita Voronova also from the Dnipro Renaissance club.
Other places were distributed as follows:
- Nikolay Motrichenko – Natalia Guchek (Kiev, “Tandem”)
- Vladislav Belov – Anastasia Mogyla (Kiev, “Favorite”)
- Valery Plitchenko – Svetlana Plitchenko (Kiev, “Polonaise”)
- Vitaliy Selivonchik – Tatiana Selivonchik (Kiev, “Polonaise”)
Slow waltz
Tango
Viennese waltz
Slow foxtrot
Quickstep
Three couples participated in the Latina program. The first place was taken by the pair from the Dnipro, representing the club Ejevoj – Maxim Zaitsev and Alla Rechitskaya. The second place was taken by Dmitriy Kolesnik and Marina Kotova from the Kiev club Body Feet. The third place went to another Kievers – Sergey Kozin and Valentina Kushnirenko from Dance Avenue club.
Cha-cha-cha
Samba
We express our gratitude to Victor Koval and Valentina Kushnirenko for the provided photo and video materials