Research

I started a facebook page to recruit ballroom dancers for my research and if anyone wants to keep track of what I'm doing they can just read about it. It's called Teri Riding's PhD Research on Ballroom Dancers (click and join).

Blackpool

This week is the Blackpool Dance Festival, which is the biggest ballroom competition in the world. I went with BYU in 2004, but since I am only 2.5 hours away I had to come watch BYU compete again. My friend Jared was an alternate on the team in 2004, so he tried out and made it this year.
Sometimes teams don't come to Blackpool the years BYU goes because they don't want to compete against them because they win alot, but this time the Chinese, Germans, and UVU came as well. I made it in time to watch band call, which is the official rehearsal the day of competition. All the teams looked good at rehearsal and they were good during competition. I am glad I wasn't a judge, I thought it was close. BYU did an in-your-face Proud to be an American routine, which made me nervous since in the world there is anti-American sediment, but BYU got first! Here are the results 1. BYU 2. Chinese 3. Germans 4. UVU. UVU had a REALLY good opening sequence, so I was surprised they got 4th, and the Germans did a Soviet military Romeo and Juliet, which was technically good, but weird. (click on Germans and you can watch a You Tube of their routine at another competition.) The Chinese were also technically good, but had more artistry than the Germans.
Plus I got to hang out with one of my former dancers Rosemary. She married an Englishman and lives here now. It was fun to see her and Ron, my coolest former boss ever! I also did some recruiting for my future research to get them to participate.
Here are some pictures, but my camera battery died, so I didn't get very many.

Winter Gardens is the Ballroom where the competition is held

The famous Blackpool Tower

Inside the ballroom
The beginning of BYU's routine, they performed 2nd, Jared is somewhere in that back row of guys, they all look different with slicked back hair and the tanning


All together now
Plus my camera does not do action shots well, but this is the opening lift

pop, shame

When I lived in South Africa I heard the word "shame" all the time. South Africans use it as a catchall word. I've noticed here in England people use the word "pop" the same way. I never folded shame into my vocabulary, so chances are pop won't be either.

Spackman geneology

My Mom found this on footnote.com. This is our first Spackman ancestor to come to America from England, Thomas S. E. Spackman. This is his passport application in August 11, 1862. He was born March 6th, 1814 in England. It says he has fair/gray hair, blue eyes, 5' 7 ½" tall.

I am amazed that after six generations I have blue eyes too. Plus, I am taller than him. He actually has a cool story. He was born in Bristol, England, married to Sarah Ann "Annie" Bushnell and lived in London. They had four kids, three boys and a girl. Turns out Annie was crazy, so they put her in a hospital. Thomas took off with the boys for New York and left Annie in the hospital with the daughter. The middle son, also named Thomas, took off for the California gold rush, stopped in Salt Lake for supplies and ended up meeting Sarah Ann Criddle, a good Mormon girl. He converted and they got married in 1863, I am related through their son William Henry Spackman who moved to Alberta, Canada. I love hearing these stories.

Gaye Merrill

Gaye Merrill has been the Director of Sports Medicine at BYU for the last couple of years, but she has been there for many years. She died Monday of cancer. It is sad to think the last time I was in the Athletic Training Room over Thanksgiving was when I saw her and she looked fine. I didn't know she had cancer, or was sick. Gaye was the ATC over all the student trainers after I got home from mission. She is the one I learned about professionalism in athletic training. I was covering the cheerleaders one football game, it was a hot day so I wore shorts. On Monday I got a comment from her how at other schools they may wear shorts at football games, but at BYU we wear pants.
When I taught at Tooele High School, I called Gaye to ask if I could bring my students in to do the modalities lab. She had set up this whole thing (with ultrasound, diathermy, massage, e-stim, etc) and then gave all my students T-shirts afterward. She didn't need to, but she did anyway.
Her funeral is next week and they set up a blog so everyone could share their stories.
Thanks Gaye