I love the competition discussions...
The way I see it is (FWIW),
Place at a national, Blackpool / Hammersmith...move up. That applies to the 2nd and 3rd placers too. The standard of intermediate dancer is going through the roof. At the end of the day, the difference between 1st, 2nd and 3rd place could be a few points, so why should the person who comes first feel any less intimidated than the runners up when it comes to moving up a level?
Mixed ability couples...hmmmmm, tricky one. Gut reaction says that you should compete at the level of the better/more experienced dancer. Just personnal opinion though.
James
