Dance sport team hopes hard work pays off

Dance sport team hopes hard work pays off

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian dance sport athletes are working hard in a bid to
beat odds against hot rivals at the next SEA Games where the
discipline will be on display for the first time at the region's
biennial multi-event sporting competition.

The Indonesian Dance Sport Union (IODI), which was just
established six months ago, is preparing four pairs for the games
in Manila in December and they are determined to bring home a
medal.

A full-time training schedule is imposed from morning through
evening.

"The morning session, from 6:30 a.m to 10 a.m., is for
physical training while the evening sessions, from 3 p.m. to 8
p.m, is for technical training," coach Soenarko Josodihardjo said
here on Friday.

The athletes have days off on Saturday and Sunday.

"With the hard work, we hope we can win a gold medal at the
SEA Games," Soenarko said, adding that the dance sport would
offer two gold medals in the Latin dance and standard ballroom
events.

Indonesian hopefuls are Thomas Susilo Hadi, 33, with his
partner Lanny Budiani, 32, and the no. 1 couple Kriswandono, 30,
and Aprillia M, 29, in Latin dance; Budhi Laij, 56, and wife
Wisiana Tjan, 38, Tri Mulyana, 23, and Trisnawati, 22, in the
standard ballroom event.

Kriswandono/April and Budhi/Wisiana are national champions in
their respective events.

"Sometimes we practice until 10 p.m.," Thomas said during
their training workout on Thursday.

"We hope we get something at the SEA Games from this hard
work," his partner Lanny said.

Dance sport deserves a chance of offering a medal in multi-
event championships as the discipline, like other sports,
requires stamina and skill, according to Soenarko.

Soenarko said host country, the Philippines and Thailand were
favorites and should be difficult to beat. "Hopefully, the
training can provide Indonesian athletes with enough experience
to challenge them for the gold medal.

"Singapore and Malaysian athletes are still below our level,"
he claimed.

Athletes relish the SEA Games challenge.

"We are not afraid of the Filipinos or the Thais," Budhi said.

"In 1998, I won an international competition in Singapore, so
why don't I have a chance to win gold in the SEA Games?"

Budhi and Wisiana have also tested their skills in Penang,
Kuala Lumpur and Taipei.

Kriswandoyo, who started dancing six years ago, said he and
his fiancee Aprillia, would do their best to strike gold.

"I and Aprillia have competed with the Philippines dancers in
Singapore last year," he said. "Two Philippines teams won the top
two places. We finished in third."

IODI and the National Sports Council (KONI) plan to hire
foreign coaches from Italy and Poland next month in an effort to
enhance the athletes' medal prospects.

"Our styles fit with Italy and East Europe ... therefore we
prefer a coach from either of those two countries," he said.

Warmup competitions in Singapore at the end of this month and
in Taipei in September have also been included in the preparation
schedule.