So, with Blackpool, Ceroc & Bristol gone, Scotland just around the corner and Britroc on the horizon, it's time to start looking forward towards next year's competitons. Now is the time for us competitors to make our voices heard and hopefully for the organisers to listen.

Throughout this year there has been much debate - quite heated at times - about the various categories and how people enter. Some people has been voiciforous in their support of the 3 category (Intermediate / Advanced / Open) approach, while others favour the 2 categories that Blackpool use. Each have their pro's and con's, but one thing which most people seem to agree on is that it would seem unfair to prevent people from entering a freestyle category just because they fit someone's definition of a teacher.

So, here's a thought for you to mull over. Is it time to think about a different way to categorise the competitions ? As some of you may know, I come from a ballroom competition background, and over the years I have seen how ballroom competitions have evolved, both in the student circuit and on the open amateur circuit. The student competition format used to use the 2 category approach: beginners (people dancing less than a year) and open (everyone else). Then there was the Basic categories. These were open to all, but the dancers were restricted to just dancing moves from a defined list of basic steps.

On the amateur circuit, they have a multiple category approach: Beginners, Novice, Intermediate, Pre-Champ & Amateur. There is no time limit on you being a beginner, and you can enter multiple categories if you wish. You are only forced out of a category and up to the next level when you win 2 competitions at that level. However, the beginners and novice categories are restricted to basic steps and novice is a 2-dance, Intermediate a 3-dance & Pre-champ a 4-dance competition. The student circuit, after many years of debate have also gone down this multiple category approach as well.

Obviously this 2,3,4-dance approach is not applicable in modern jive, and there are a lot less MJ competitions each year than ballroom comps, so the win 2 and move up might need to be win one and move, however what do people think about restricting the moves people can use in a competition ?

Could there ever be a concensus on what the defined 'Basic' moves were ? Could the various competition organisers be persuaded to all use the same definition ? The Ceroc list of beginners moves could be a starting point. Do LeRoc have a similar list ?

Could a multiple category approach work, where there are no restriction on who enters the categories, but the lower categories are restricted to 'Basic' steps ?

Does anyone else have any radical (or not so radical) ideas on how the copmetition category situation could be improved ?

I open the floor to the debate......