I am an athlete who competed in the NY Pro and have been reading this thread since the show. I think athletes like myself may have been hesitant to reply because they feel that they may be penalized in their next show for voicing their opinions. They may also be afraid that by complaining, they will sound like they are crying "sour grapes", or possibly offending other competitors.
I want to first make it clear that in no way do I feel that I should have placed in this show. I am a rookie who still has much to improve on and there were many seasoned, talented competitors in this show. I am just plain confused about how the score sheets read. As a rookie, I feel that it is important for me to look at the physiques and routines of those who place higher than me to see what it is that I need to work on for the next show. However, when I look at the scores of those who placed ahead of me (and there were a lot
, I have no idea in what direction I should be headed. The placings seemed to show lack consistency-especially in routines (on a personal level, this is what made me the most frusturated, as performing routines is my favorite aspect of competing)
Since I can not come close to predicting what the judges are looking for, I have decided to stop pondering the NY Pro and focus on coming into the Little Rock show the best that I can, as I have always tried to do. I hope that fair and consistent placings in upcoming shows will help any disenchanted fans and athletes return to their love of the sport.
-Katie Szep