I wrote...
>That was my first Nationals. These are the things you remember
>when you're not even four.
I mean, yes, I'm not even four now. I'm way older than four. I was almost
four then.
I just had to clarify before some "funny" people start sending me e-mails
asking, "What? You're not even FOUR? Duh huh huh..."
When did they start holding Nationals in Dallas? I remember that Nationals
more vividly, particularly the run down airport where it was held. To go
view the posted results, you had to walk into this broken down building with
broken windows, and cobwebs and dust everywhere. Then you had to climb this
dead escalator. I remember it being very spooky.
There was a dinner at a Greek restaurant with a belly dancer, and somehow,
my sister and I got it into our heads that we would make good belly dancers,
too. I somehow understood everyone's laughter as encouragement.
The strongest memories are playing with Wendy Looman at the old Salina site.
She taught me this really neat "language" called "Ubba Dubba." It's where
you add an extra b consonant to every syllable. Sobo nobow yobou tabalk
libike thibis. Seebee? Ibit's rebealleby neabeat. She also taught me how to
solve a Rubik's Cube, and to this day, I can still do it. We made floor
plans of our houses using Legos.
A few years later, in '87, when I was there as a competitor for the first
time (a very strange feeling), Wendy wasn't there, but of course her parents
were, and I remember her dad Davey greeting me, mumbling something like,
"Bubbabobobeebeemooboo," and apparently expecting some sort of response from
me, as if this was supposed to really be a conversation.
That same year, instead of a talent show, there was some sort of dance off.
Roger "the famous" Johnson was host, and I remember thinking, "He's pretty
funny for being so old." As I was 17 and very "cool," I had my own little
lame eighties new wave style. And then my dad did his patented move. It was
kind of a cross between slam dancing and jumping rope, back and forth across
the room.
Some of these memories, as painful as they are, were well worth the trip.
I'm sorry I'm going to miss it this year, but yes, I'll be there in 2001.
Katie K.
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