Several years ago I accompanied the late Leo Townsend to a class "C" horse show in Spencerville, Maryland. He entered his horse, a thorobred type, ridden by his youngest son in the Working Hunter Division. The performance of both horse and rider was flawless and was the result of intense training and preparation for the scheduled event. However, at the end of the competition another horse and rider, whose performance was considerably less, was awarded the first place Blue Ribbon. This development resulted in a storm of anger and outrage expressed in no uncertain terms. The intensity of Leo’s protest was so great it prompted those judging the class to re-examine their officiating of the competition. This rare and unique acquiescence on the part of the judges led to changing the decision and awarding Leo Townsend the first place win, which he undoubtedly won fair and square.

In looking back at other bad decisions I remember how disappointed I was when Marvelous Marvin Hagler lost his middle weight championship to Sugar Ray Leonard. Another classic example of officiating gone awry. Many who saw the fight felt the bout was close, but the consensus was that Leonard had not done enough to take away the belt from the incumbent. Hagler was never in trouble during the fight, sustained no cuts and was never knocked down. In fact, he forced all the action, fought as if he was the challenger and threw the heavier punches. In the opinion of many, one of the judges who scored the fight was so far out of line it was ridiculous and many wondered if he was watching the same fight as the rest of us.

This sort of thing seems to be a real problem on occasion in competition where the outcome is determined by a decision rendered by an official who is supposed to have an understanding of what to look for to facilitate a correct and fair judgement. In Gymnastics, Ice-skating, Platform Diving, Ballroom Dancing to mention a few. Even in Basketball, Football, Baseball and other forms of competition when a call is made incorrectly or a call that should have been made and isn’t can leave the spectators groaning with pain aside from the agony felt by the players themselves. I experienced dismay and agony during a dance competition held at the Zones on Friday night (8/7/98). Ricardo and his partner Elba, who I considered the rightful winners were victims of "highway robbery." Their performance was nothing short of superlative. They never missed a step, were always in perfect rhythm while executing a very strenuous routine that exhibited a multitude of difficult turns and even a few acrobatic maneuvers that were made to look easy. In performing, both exemplified finesse and finished each part of the routine with polish and seemed to perform with spontaneity.

With all due respect to the so-called winning couple it is acknowledged they were good, but their performance was flawed. There were missed cues and several times the male had to be saved by the female counterpart who really kept the routine going. In fact, during their performance the guy attempted a daring move in which he had to lean backwards all the way to the floor. The upper part of his back was actually on the floor and for a moment he couldn’t get up. I felt myself wince witnessing the brief struggle to get him back up on his feet. Again, his partner was there to salvage an obvious flaw in their routine. Yet despite this, the couple was awarded first place.

For the better part of ten minutes there were deliberations among the judges on the dance floor attempting to choose the winner of the competition. It seemed to me cut and dry who the winners were. I asked myself what the hell were they discussing? When finally the announcement was made I couldn’t believe it. I don’t even think the crowd had fully grasped what had taken place evidenced by their hesitant but polite applause.

Ricardo and Elba’s routine was smooth and fluid. In equal proportions each contributed to the other’s performance unlike the winning couple whose routine was good, but rough and certainly not as polished. The guy demonstrated skills but lacked a certain finesse. The stronger of the two was definitely the lady. The judges advised the winning couple won by one point. I’m curious what was the basis for their assessment and wish I knew what the couple did that was so superior to Richardo and Elba’s performance. What did that one point difference represent?

I observed a similar situation several months ago at a place called Ciao Baby where a couple (Jose and Sandra) were in my opinion clearly the winners of a dance competition held there. This couple was decidedly the more skilled. Despite their better performance the first place was awarded to another couple. The problem as I see it, is that the officiating is out of sync and should be scrutinized to make it more effective. It isn’t always clear how the contestants will be measured and one must ask what are the standards used to determine the best performance. The criterion should include dancing to the rhythm, staying in step, the combination of turns and perhaps the degree of complexity in executing difficult maneuvers as well as originality. Certainly no verbal communication should be permitted. However, in all fairness, a few standards were mentioned before commencement of the competition on Friday.

Another component to consider; Although Salsa on occasion can be a "spectator sport" it is not a rough and tumble form of dance. Salsa is synonymous with sensuality and grace. Additionally, an effort should be made to curb the subjective inclination to a more objective method of judging future contestants in salsa dance competition. Otherwise one might be faced with the likes of a Leo Townsend whose anger and protest will seem like a terrible storm.

Copyright ã Shades of Sslsa

8/98