2015 - A Year of DanceSport
by Dallas Williams
When the competition year closes in December a very significant event will have taken place, one which has gone largely un-noticed by the Australian DanceSport community. An event that will have a profound impact on the development of the sport but by its very nature has occurred ‘behind the scenes’ of the glitz, glamour and excitement of DanceSport.
For the first time in the history of DanceSport the results of every Recreational, Amateur and Professional competitor have been captured in an on-line database. Nowhere else in the world has this level of detail been captured. That is every registered event, for every competition, for every Division and Age Group, for an entire country ... the era of ‘Big Data’ is upon us.
For the tech savvy the term ‘Big Data’ generally refers the analysis of billions of records and of course we are not in that league but what has been achieved is certainly big for DanceSport.
Yes, sure there is the WDSF on-line competition system and this does capture all results but this is only for registered WDSF competitions and the WDC Ranking System is out there but once again only for their resisted Ranking competitions. What has been achieved in Australia is world first and opens the door to true real time data analysis.
Bored yet? Of course you are, what has data got to do with dancing? Don’t switch off just yet because how we mine this data for information will define the future administration of things such as the ’Points’ required for Elevations, Marketing of our sport as well as State funding from the Department of Sport and Recreation. Without our ‘Big DanceSport Data’ we are flying blind.
In years gone by Competition Organisers would pass a printed summary of the day’s events to the State Registrar who would use this report as a reference point for the Elevation of competitors. Data handled in this manner provided no insights into future requirements of the sport. When we look back at a year’s worth of data we will be able to analyse not just those who have taken part in competitions but also the frequency, type of event and even the average Points awarded.
Australia is a vast country and we need to know if competitors in some States, Grades or even Age Groups have advantages over other areas. Do we need to implement the ‘Bonus Point’ system (which has been built into the database structure from the ‘get go’) for some locations to even the playing field?
The existence of Grades and Age Groups is for the continued encouragement of competitors, as landmarks on the way forward. If these mechanisms are failing DanceSport we need to know the facts not just anecdotal evidence.
Data analysis will help DanceSport in marketing itself to the wider community by understanding better how competitors engage with our competition. Of course this is an important aspect but equally important is the ability to sell to sponsors the unique exposure that DanceSport can provide. Sponsors need to know that their investments are supported by data and facts, this is Business 101 in modern Australia.
Funding for State Bodies from their relevant Departments of Sport and Recreation is also changing in nature. These departments are moving away from elite funding and concentrating on sports that can truly prove an engagement with the wider community. In short, they are demanding ‘more bang for their buck’ and Big Data is required to prove our case.
Can you access this on-line database? Yes, of course you can.
All DanceSport results are on the Project 5000 website at www.p5000.org, and yes every DanceSport competitor in the country has an on-line account (even if you don’t use it). Simply login to your account and you will be able to see what Points you have accrued and from what events they have come from.
