Lessons learned

Jerswin and Anne Poloyapoy were exhausted. They had just become first FIlipinos to compete in the International Dance Sport Federation (IDSF) World Ten-Dance Championship in Vienna-Austria, after joining the World Standard Championship in Krefeld, Germany, a few days before. It was an arduous, tiring trip for them, made bearable only by the excellent service of Thai Airways, which had made the trip possible, in the first place.

In Germany, the Poloyapoy couple, who have been competitive dancers since 1998, ran into the best couples from all over the world. Knowing they would have a hard time competing (they finished 63rd out of 72 pairs), they videotaped all their competitors.

"We wanted to learn everything they did that was different," Anne Poloyapoy told The STAR. "It was a great experience, even though it was freezing cold.’

As a background, Jerswin and Anne, who have two young boys, have represented the country successfully in international competitions throughout Asia, Europe and Australia. They were among those who were removed from the Philippine team to the on-going Southeast Asian Games for not signing a one-year contract of service foisted on them by the Dance Sport Council of the Philippines when they made the team as reserves. Actually, they didn’t refuse, but were seeking clarification when they were given an arbitrary deadline of Aug. 5 to sign or be taken off the squad. Ironically, they were invited to compete in Austria.

"Vienna is such a beautiful place," Anne continues. "But it was three degrees below zero, so we had a hard time, and my asthma acted up." Add to this the fact that they were traveling alone. "Our companion coach was only given a three-day visa, so he couldn’t join us. So the only photos we have are those on the official website, and the ones we could take with our cell phones."

In Germany, they got the cold shoulder, because it was an extreme rarity that Filipinos would appear at the World Standard Championship. They sensed some racial bias, particularly when they were asked to present their travel documents and identification.

When they arrived in Austria, though, the reception was quite the opposite.

"The organizers were so happy to see us, because they thought we wouldn’t be able to make it," Poloyapoy explains.

Indeed, they had no way of raising enough funds for the trip, until Thai Airways officials led by their general manager Dol Bhasavanich and marketing official Malu Dueñas intervened. From there, it was all systems go.

"Every competition is really different, but this was special, added Poloyapoy. "Every surface you dance on is different. In Vienna, the floor was slippery, and many athletes were slipping during practice. So we had to borrow a spray from a Japanese couple to make our shoes stick to the floor. It was a big help."

They also said that the Germans and Italians were incredibly talented, and it was because dancing was literally their life. They would train for at least four hours a day, and teach for at least another four hours. They did nothing else, and had no worries about their livelihood.

There was also another reason the Poloyapoys took this leap. They are seriously considering turning pro to escape the politics of the DSCP, of which husband Jerswin is a director. They claim to have been treated shabbily in favor of more "compliant" dance athletes, as their experience with the SEA Games qualifiers proved. On top of this, they are close to giving up on competing in the Philippines altogether. They have been hurt too much.

"If nothing will happen to us here, then why will we stay? Other couples have already left the country for the same reason," Anne elaborates.

In fact, former president of the Philippine Professional Dancesport Association (PPDSA) Alebrto Dimarucut moved to Australia, won a national championship there, and has since repesented Australia in international meets. And he was not the first.

Once again, we literally shoot ourselves in the foot.

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The Basketball Show will be pre-empted this week to give way to the summary of the Southeast Asian Games. It will be aired again next Saturday on IBC-13.