On Friday, October 4, a United States first was realized when Ron & Carol Magee took to the competition floor to dance the very first Senior VI Amateur DanceSport Championship event. This seasoned ballroom couple demonstrated to all that beautiful Standard dancing is not just for the young. It also belongs to the young at heart. Each time the couple rolled out, the crowd erupted. And how fitting it was to have this event at the much beloved Carolina Fall Classic, organized by Daniel Boman and Tiffany Bouquet.
The next day, Saturday, October 5, Ron and Carol were joined by Mel & Victoria Paterline in the first-ever Senior VI American Smooth Championship event, and again, the audience was on its feet. Later that day, Bruce and Joan Spicer joined both couples for the Senior VI Pre-Champ event.
How did Ron & Carol feel about their Senior VI debut? “The word that came to us is, ‘Fantastic.’ We’re Senior VI, and we’re still out on the floor competing.”
The significance of this was enormous. As the National member body of the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), USA Dance generally follows the WDSF-defined age categories. The Senior I category covers a partnership where one partner is 35 or older and the other is at least 30. Senior II covers 45 and 40, Senior III covers 55 and 50, and Senior IV covers 65 and 60, respectively. Until recently, many USA Dance competitions stopped there, often forcing the 66 to 96-year-old (slight exaggeration) competitors to dance in a single Senior IV Category.
This past year, the Senior Committee pushed to re-categorize Senior V in accordance with the WDSF rules. Thus, Senior V was redefined with both partners being 70 or older. This allowed more dancers to dance in the category, making it immediately more popular.
But the Senior Committee wasn’t done.
Daniel and Tiffany explained, “As we were preparing for this year’s competition, we were asked by Chuck Garrett, the Chair of the Senior Committee, if we would be willing to run Senior VI events. We were happy to oblige…We wanted our competitions to be friendly and approachable for competitors of all ages and were glad to see that this new age division resonated with the senior competitors.”
“Prior to the Senior VI opportunity at Carolina, senior athletes all the way up to 80 had to compete in Senior IV if they wanted a second age group,” explained Chuck Garrett. “Daniel and Tiffany were kind enough to consider a pilot effort with Senior VI.”
“We truly hope that more and more comps start adding Senior VI,” commented Carol, further noting that even the Senior V rule was tough for those in their upper 70s. “Ron’s 79. You might think nine years isn’t a lot…but nine years is a lot to dance against. The age difference, the movement of people…we were happy to get some people who were 75 and older dancing together.”
Although a first in the United States, this was not unheard of internationally. Two years ago, at the WDSF German Open in Stuttgart, Germany, Senior competitors were all a-buzz about a recent European-hosted WDSF Senior VI Standard event. They were thrilled with the prospect of dancing and competing for the rest of their lives.
But many don’t continue into their later years. They don’t accept the “new normal” and give up dancing when they feel they are declining.
“Some of them get discouraged and give up dancing for one reason or another. Maybe younger people go with more of the idea that you’ve got to be the winner,” noted Carol thoughtfully. “We do it for the joy of it! Ron and I just want to go out, dance well, have a good time, and meet people…And it’s a big thing to improve your health. Ron is 79, I’m 76, and for the most part, we’re in pretty good health, and we attribute it a lot to our dancing and practicing”
So, the Carolina Fall Classic was catching USA Dance up with Europe. And why not? Although it is not a Regional, Carolina Fall Classic is the largest and most successful USA Dance Challenge and has always been a favorite among the dancers.
This year was no exception. The competition was once again held at the Hilton Charlotte University Place, a lovely lakefront hotel conveniently located in Charlotte, North Carolina, within 20 minutes of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The hotel features a large ballroom, plenty of space for a large practice area and vendors, and more than 80 different dining and shopping opportunities within walking distance.
With the loss of the once-well-attended MidAtlantic Championships two years ago, Carolina Fall Classic remains the only East Coast competition between New York and Atlanta. Thus, it is a huge draw to a large population of dancers. But that is not the only reason it is successful.
“I think the Carolina Fall Classic has always been popular because the organizers communicate very well with senior athletes,” said Chuck. “Original organizers, Wayne and Marie Crowder, really set the tone for this, and Daniel and Tiffany have continued those courtesies to seniors and syllabus athletes…Plus, the pricing is very reasonable and is always a draw. It harkens back to the pricing in past years when chapters ran many of our competitions.”
“We had 199 people register, which is our highest in the past three years,” said Tiffany.
“A big shout out to the return of our seniors, who comprised 3/4 of our numbers!”
Seniors weren’t the only ones there; the college contingent was also well-represented. And they kept the floor moving! On Saturday night, the dancing was so hot that it set off the fire alarms, forcing a hotel evacuation.
“In addition to a strong senior and collegiate scene, we had a number of well-populated signature events,” noted Tiffany. “The Master of Syllabus events (restricted to syllabus figures) were full finals, and our Switch-role events both started from a semi-final.”
Switch-role? In these events, couples switched their roles from leader to follower on demand. Does it sound difficult? It is! Yet, one couple – Chris Gibbs & Erin Wrobel – made it look so easy, winning the event with firsts in all dances in both Smooth and Rhythm.
“Our Switch-role events celebrated and encouraged the skill of being able to perform both roles in a partnership and the transition between the two,” explained Tiffany. “While some couples choreographed their routines, it was clear some of them were dancing true lead and follow, which is exactly what we were trying to encourage.”
Ron and Carol didn’t switch roles but certainly enjoyed the many events offered over the weekend. When they weren’t dancing, they were watching, and when they weren’t watching, they were back on the floor.
“We were always amazed to see dancers competing at such skill levels even after many years on the floor,” remarked Tiffany. “We look forward to continuing to support dancing as we advance through life. The seniors are the lifeblood of USA Dance.”
“Senior VI seemed to be very successful,” smiled Chuck Garrett. “As an organization, I think USA Dance needs to consider that as an additional age category.”
For now, Seniors look forward to more Senior VI at the USA Dance Southeastern Regional Championships, hosted by Daniel and Tiffany on February 14-16, 2025, in Dunwoody, Georgia. And for those who like to plan ahead—and many do—mark your calendars for the next Carolina Fall Classic, October 10-12, 2025.
As Carol said, “Do it for the joy of it!”
