WCLDSF Newsletter

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 AUGUST 2015

S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F INTEREST: 4th Annual Success in Orlando

 Results of the 4th The 4th Annual World Country released showcase music. crown the WCLDSF World Champi- Annual Games and Line DanceSport Federation Gold, Silver and Bronze medals ons, and also to qualify DanceSport (WCLDSF) World Games took were awarded to the winners in competitors to compete in WDSF  Join us at our 5th place on December 30th, 2014, at an Olympic style ceremony, com- International Multi-Discipline champi- Annual Games at the Coronado Springs Resort in plete with flag raising and nation- onships such as the one in Kaohsiung Opryland Hotel in Orlando, Florida. 46 athletes in September 2013. Nashville, TN al anthems, immediately follow- from 8 countries competed for ing the competitions, In order to compete in the Games,  WCLDSF Video: Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in The WCLDSF produces a an athlete must be a member of their https:// Country Couples, Line and Worlds Games championship at National Federation who is, in turn, a www.youtube.com Teams categories. member of the WCLDSF. The /watch? The audience could cheer on WCLDSF currently has 15 Associate v=i_QpjsMaxlQ&fe ature=youtu.be their favorite competitors and National Organization Member watch the results of each compe- (ANOM). See page 4 for list of tition appear on the big screen at ANOM members and their contact the end of each heat. Other information. If your country is not changes to add to the excitement: listed, contact Jeff Bartholomew at 4th Annual WCLDSF the finalist solo competition was [email protected] to join! I N S I D E Games replaced by a showdance compe- The WCLDSF now begins planning THIS ISSUE: tition (both in Line and Couples) the end of each year, in conjunc- for the 5th Annual Games, to take 4th Annual 1 where all the finalists took the place in Nashville, Tennessee, in floor at the same time and danced tion with the UCWDC Country Games Dance World Championship, to January 2016. Supporting routines choreographed to pre- Our Athletes 4th Annual 2 Supporting Our Athletes Games Win- ners The WCLDSF was founded as nesses whose profits go to- penses including travel, lodging, part of the infrastructure re- wards supporting sports and meals, coaching, costumes, mu- Athlete Spot- 3 quired for DanceSport to one athletes in that country. Some sic and other miscellaneous light day be in the Olympics. Finan- governments have budgeted expenses, as well as lost income ANOM Focus cial support for Olympic ath- funding for sports federations to due to travel. Some Interna- letes can come from different help pay for athletes’ training, tional events, such as the 2013 sources, depending on the Sport travel, and other competition WDSF Games in Kaohsiung Contact Info, 4 and the country involved. Each related expenses. Many of the have sponsors who pay for the Meet the country has a Federation gov- sports federations, including athletes’ travel, lodging and Games Direc- erning a particular sport or DanceSport Federations, are food. This is the exception tor sports, and the Federation may not-for-profit organizations, and rather than the norm, and most be funded by the government, donations to these organizations world class athletes in any sport private companies, individual are tax deductible. must seek funding sources such donors, or a combination of all as sponsorships, fundraisers, DanceSport athletes competing of these sources. Some coun- etc. to pursue their competitive at International events incur tries have companies or busi- goals. many competition related ex- P A G E 2 4th Annual Games Couples Winners Couples 8 Dance Senior Gold Joseph Armstrong and Gillian Armstrong GBR

Couples 8 Dance Adult Gold Michael Wagner and Melissa Lea Jefferies USA Silver Clive Stevens and Christy Kam USA Bronze Bradley Montoya and Vanessa Montoya USA

Couples 8 Dance Junior Gold Tommy Lewis and Alexis Garrish USA

Couples Country Adult Gold Michael Wagner and Melissa Lea Jefferies USA Senior Couples Gold Silver Clive Stevens and Christy Kam USA Medal winners Jo- seph and Gillian Bronze Bradley Montoya and Vanessa Montoya USA Armstrong Couples 8 Dance Junior Gold Tommy Lewis and Alexis Garrish USA

Couples Traditional Adult Gold Clive Stevens and Christy Kam USA Silver Michael Wagner and Melissa Lea Jefferies USA 4th Annual Bronze Bradley Montoya and Vanessa Montoya USA WCLDSF Couples 8 Dance Junior Games Gold Tommy Lewis and Alexis Garrish USA Winners Circle Teams Winners Group Dance Gold Chli Chicks USA Silver Scuffed Angels USA Line Dance Winners - Senior Division Line Dance Male Senior Gold Stefan Brecard FRA Line Dance Female Silver Tim Perez USA Senior Bronze Jacky Razafiniaina FRA Medalists Line Dance Female Senior Gold Mona Brandt USA Silver An Eun-Young KOR Bronze Yuko Jackson JPN

Photo courtesy Ricardo Mejia Photo courtesy Ricardo Mejia

WCLDSF NEWSLETTER VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 P A G E 3

Line Dance Male Junior 4th Annual Games Winners (Con’t) Gold Yu Ji-Hyeok KOR

Line Dance Male Adult Gold Pierre-Louis Castellana FRA Silver Linus Backstrom GBR Bronze Guillaume Richard FRA

Line Dance Female Adult Line Dance Female Junior Gold Siobhan Dunn GBR Gold Mayuka Nakayama JPN Silver Christy Kam USA Silver Zara Chanice Dunn GBR Bronze Clara-Isabel Ayats ESP Bronze Jana Bogaerts BEL Athlete Spotlight: Stefan Brecard Stefan Brecard, WCLDSF 2014 and some for someone who has never spine when she's on the dance floor, “ 2015 Line Dance Male Senior Gold worn a cowboy hat before!” says Stefan. medalist is from Reunion, a small Stefan says that dancing came natural- Stefan graduated with a Sports degree as French colony in the Indian Ocean, ly. “I never had to question myself a coach for Rhythmic , and currently lives in Kuala Lumpur, whether I was meant to be a dancer and used to be a Choreographer and Malaysia. or not.” Artistic and Stage Manager, Now he Stefan has been dancing for more As a teacher, Stefan say his biggest focuses on his full-time profession of than 30 years, He started in Ballet accomplishment is “to put a smile on teaching dance. and Modern Jazz, and also does Afri- the face of whoever comes to join my For the future, Stefan’s dream is to par- can Dance, Belly Dancing, Latin and classes. Sharing is caring and, sharing ticipate in the Olympics one day, to Line Dance Ballroom as well as Argentina Tango my passion with my students is the open a Cabaret with his own show pro- Male Senior which he says for him is “THE most best thing I could do.” duction, to travel the world, and to Gold Medalist passionate dance ever!” Stefan start- adopt a child. Stefan Brecard ed Line Dance in April 2013, and has Stefan’s role models are Nadia Co- quickly risen to the rank of UCWDC maneci, who “has always been a great Interests besides dancing? Stefan says Superstar as well as winning back to inspiration for she is a forever perfec- “just name any handicraft, I'm your back Gold medals in the WCLDSF tion seeker,” and Yulia Zagoruychen- man ! Love cooking and creating any Games. Which, Stefan says “is awe- ko who “gives me thrills down the sort of stuff.” ANOM Focus: Japan Country & Line DanceSport Federation The Japan Country & Line Danc- General Affair/Public Relation last year. The winners of the eSport Federation (JCLDSF) was Committee, the Spread Com- Line Dance Female established in August 2014, by mittee, the Competition Com- Junior and Line Dance Japanese dancers who are pas- mittee, and the Medical Re- Female Diamond divi- sionate about Country Dancing search Committee. There are sions qualified to com- and Line Dancing, and who currently 32 members and 274 pete at the 2015 joined together to support and associated members, for a total WCLDSF Games in promote the movement of 321 members of the JCLDSF. Orlando, where the Country Dancing and Line Junior competitor won Dancing into becoming Olympic 300 people gathered to cele- the Gold medal in the sports. The JCLDSF is a General brate at the JCLDSF inaugural Junior division, and the Photo courtesy Ricardo Mejia Incorporated Association under event and National Qualifica- Diamond competitor Japanese Company Law, and is tion Competition, which was was awarded the Silver held as part of the UCWDC made up of 15 board members medal in her division. and 4 committees, which are the Japan Country Dance Challenge ANOM Email Contact Information Belgium: [email protected] World Country & Line Brazil: [email protected] DanceSport Federation Denmark: [email protected] France: [email protected] Phone: 717-763-4416 Germany: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Ireland: [email protected]

President: Jeff Bartholomew Italy: [email protected] First Vice President: Gene Jannotti Japan: [email protected] Vice President, Data & Strategic Korea: [email protected] Development: JP Oster Norway: [email protected] Vice President, Communications: Mona Brandt South Africa: [email protected] Treasurer: Kay Bryan Spain: [email protected] Executive Secretary: Judy McDonald Sweden: [email protected] Ordinary Members of the Presidium: United Kingdom: [email protected] Steve Dunn (UK) United States: [email protected] Kathrine Strand-Hammond (Norway) Noune Marty (France)

We’re On the Web! www.wcldsf.org Meet the Games Director JP Oster was elected to the posi- improving how we run the Games. The WCLDSF, its Games and the tion of WCLDSF Games Director I discovered that running a Games whole Olympic road is in my opin- for the 2014 Games in Nashville, event is much different than a ion the biggest opportunity that and the 2015 Games in Orlando. UCWDC event,” says JP, who, with has ever happened in our sport. “I was happy that the WCLDSF and his wife Johanne Pinel runs the Nothing in the past 15 years of my the UCWDC supported my elec- UCWDC Montreal Country Dance association with UCWDC is more tion as the 2014 WCLDSF Games Grand Prix. “In my opinion the exciting and promising for the fu- Director, and I appreciated the Games should be run with high ture of our sport. I can never say emails and phone calls. My objective standards, protocols, prestige, and how much I appreciate the weekly was not only to run the Games, but in a more work and dedication of our pre- to also to write Games protocols, Olympic-like sidium, and a special thanks to the job descriptions, and establish rela- way, such as one who aligned all the planets for tionships between WCLDSF and the real-time us and made it all happened, Jeff UCWDC, WDSF, IOC, etc..” scoring ap- Bartholomew. pearing on In 2014 there were 7 Countries, 40 I think that every event director the big Athletes and 238 dance entries in has the duty to serve, believe and screen at the the Games, and in 2015 there were invest in this growth opportunity. 2015 Games. 8 Countries, 46 Athletes and 285 The fulfillment of that dream can dance entries. only be in the hands of the ones JP Oster, WCLDSF Games who really believe in it…” “We are constantly learning and Director