One Year of Square Dancing

Thank You to Everyone Who Made This Possible
My Regular Clubs (where I danced on a weekly basis for some or all of the year) Stanford Quads Curli-Qs Bows and Beaus Generic Squares Interlocked Squares Yellow Rock and Rollers Cloverleaf Critters Top Cats Other Local Clubs Bs n Bs - San Jose B-Sharps Caper Cutters Carnival Twirlers Charley's Angels Foggy City Dancers Jokers Krazy Dazys Lucky Steppers Midnight Squares Musical Squares Outlaws PACE Silver Buckles Star Eights Sunnyvale Singles The Willows Out of Area Clubs Toe Stompers (Woodinville, WA) Blazing Stars (Federal Way, WA) Bs and Bs (Flossmoor, IL) TNTs (Waukegan, IL) Square Halos (Denver, CO) Guns and Garters (Denver, CO) Lee Kopman Plus/Advanced/C1 (Rockville Centre, NY) Ginny Reaske class/workshop (Baldwin, NY) Star Thru Squares (Garden City, NY) Single Funtimers (Katonah, NY) Hilltoppers (St. Charles, MO) Hoedowners (Wood River, IL) Wheelers and Dealers (St. Charles, MO)	Hoedowns and Special Dances SCVSDA Presidents Ball Star Eights Newer Dancer Hoedown Bs n Bs Northern Region Hoedown Keeway Swingers Hoedown Lucky Steppers Newer Dancer Hoedown Krazy Dazys Black and White Ball Jokers Hoedown Hawaiian Style SCVSDA Callers Appreciation Whing Ding Bows and Beaus Ice Cream Fling Thing 49ers Plus/A-1 Hoedown Roadrunners Hoedown Stanford Quads Hoedown Lucky Steppers Anniversary Dance Martinez Swingers A-2 Hoedown Pleasanton Singles and Pairs Hoedown Elks and Does Harvest Hoedown Sunnyvale Singles Newer Dancer Hoedown Square Hoppers Apple Pie Hoedown Farmers and Farmerettes Anniversary Hoedown El Camino Reelers 812 Dance Sunnyvale Singles Cactus Jack Hoedown Diablo Singles and Doubles Jingle Bell Rock Hoedown Thanksgiving Toy Dance SCVSDA Inaugural Ball Jokers Newer Dancer Hoedown Ed Kremers Holiday Square Dance Party Pleasanton Singles and Pairs New Years Eve Party Krazy Dazys Running Bear Hoedown Rafter Rockers Newer Dancer Hoedown San Jose Bs n Bs Anniversary Hoedown SCVSDA Presidents Ball Whing Ding Belle Swingers / Star Eights Newer Dancer Hoedown Western Star Dancers Newer Caller Hoedown Roadrunners Hoedown Sunnyvale Singles Newer Dancer Hoedown Spinning Wheels Shamrock Shuffle Festivals and Conventions NCSDA Golden State Roundup (May) Academy for Advanced and Challenge Enthusiasts (June) Chicago 3 Advanced and Challenge Convention (August) Sierra Spin Advanced and Challenge Weekend (September) SCVSDA Jubilee (October) ASDSC Harvest Hoedown (October) Winter Festival (January) Bakersfield Fiesta (March)
Special Thanks To my friend Ruth Riegelhaupt-Herzig, who called, and my friends Allen, Andy, Carol, Chelsea, Daniel, Dave, David, Debbie, Dee, Gregory, Jim, John, Julia, Kennita, Kim, Kindra, Leslie, Mariana, Mary, Michelle, Pamela, Rhonda, Robert, Robin, Sara, Sarah, Scott, Shelley, Shiloh, Sue, and Tod who danced, making it possible for me to continue during the "dark days" of Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks when there were no scheduled dances. (Double thanks to Jim and Sue for providing a place for us to dance on several of those days.) To my friend John Sybalsky, who first taught me to square dance, who continues to teach me new things every week, who calls for three of the clubs at which I dance on a regular basis, and who called on several special occasions during the year as well. To my wife Mary Gingell, who convinced me to try square dancing in the first place, who though not quite as crazy as me did dance about 3/4 of the days during the year, and who put up with the insanity of the rest of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is this about?

I square danced every day for a year.

2. Why did you do this? How did you set this goal?

Seemed like a good idea at the time. Actually, I didn't start out with the goal of a year. When I started I just wanted to see how long I could go, and figured it might be two or three months. Then when I was scheduled to go on a trip out of town, I discovered that if I stopped then I would have gone 95 days. It seemed a shame to stop so close to 100 days, so I found places to dance that weekend. Once I saw that I could do that, I realized that going for a whole year might be possible.

3. Is this a world record?

Probably not. I have heard that there have been people who have gone longer. There doesn't seem to be any recognized record.

4. Did you really dance every day? Did you have to dance with phantoms on some days? Did this include dancing to tapes?

Every day, for a year, with at least seven other people, with a live caller.

5. Where could you find a place to dance on a day like Christmas?

I have friends who helped me, by dancing, calling, and providing a place to do it.

6. Are you going to keep going for two years?

No, I stopped after 382 days. But that doesn't mean I won't still be dancing -- it's just that I'll probably be dancing an average of about 6.5 days per week instead of 7.

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Cakes in Celebration

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