AND THE WINNER IS ...

Kasey Marler from 11 Connects - WJHL TV was the winner of the Dancing With The Tri Cities Stars contest this past Saturday at the Johnson city Country Club.

I had a wonderful evening. We didn't win but I had a great time. The one judge who was a professional dancer really gave me high marks, a 10 for the West Coast Swing and a 9 for the Rhumba. But that wasn't enough to top Kasey Marler from 11 Connects, as he was the recipient of the mirror ball trophy. Congratulations Kasey, you did an awesome job.
I'll post some video as soon I receive it.

The real winner of the night was the boys from SteppenStone Youth Treatment Facility. The event was a fundraiser for them. And I met some of the boys from SteppinStone and it really made me proud that I was part of this event to help these kids.

Anyway, it was fun and an experience I will never forget. I'm grateful the Lord opened this door to allow me to be a small part in helping the ministry of SteppinStone. I have truly been blessed. Thanks to you, the WCQR staff and all of our listeners for their prayers.

Blessings,

Mike Riddles

2 DAYS LEFT

It's hard to believe - only 2 days until the Dancing With the Tri Cities Stars contest. Tonight will be my last night of practice. Tomorrow we'll have dress rehearsals at the Johnson City Country Club. Then, on Saturday, it's Showtime!

AMY LYNN DAYTIME TRI CITIES AT WCQR

It begins at the 4:26 mark in the video.

DWTS DANCE ORDER

The Dancing With The Tri Cities Stars met at the Johnson City Country Club on Monday to draw numbers for what order we'll dance. There are 10 contestants (5 men, 5 women) with 2 rounds of dancing. As I slowly, opened my envelope for the first round I saw the number 10 which means I get to go last - that was a sigh of relief. Then, I opened the second envelope which revealed the number 8, so I'll be dancing 8th in the second round. I don't think it could've been much better.

It's hard to believe there's only 4 days left until the contest - it's this Saturday! I'm starting to get a little nervous, so I would be most grateful for your prayers.

Bible vs Cell Phone

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?

Think about how much you use your cell phone and your bible. Which one gets the most of your time?

THE COUNTDOWN

T - 10 - The countdown has begun. There's only 10 days left until the Dancing With the Tri Cities Stars contest. This has been an interesting journey, and it's hard to believe that the event is next Saturday. I certainly appreciate your prayers as we hit the final stretch.

The Dance Floor

Yesterday, I had my first practice at the Johnson City Country Club. It's where the Dancing With The Tri Cities Stars contest will be held. We usually practice at Adler dance studio, however, dance instructors Mike and Kim Adler wanted each of the contestants to experience the country clubs dance floor. They told me it was much slower compared to the one in their studio. Say what? Some dance floors are fast and some slow - I had never heard anything like this before. I kinda of laughed it off, thinking well they're pros they can easily recognize any dissimilarity, but for someone like me who's an amateur there's no way I would notice. But, boy did I learn real quick what they said is very true. There is a huge difference. At the Adler dance studio it's so easy to move, it's like you can almost glide. At the country club, when it was time for me to spin, I could barely do it. Thank goodness for Mike and Kim's expertise, being the pros they are, they knew we would have some difficulty moving on the slower dance floor - so get this they bring dance wax to rub on the bottom of your shoes to help speed you up. It was amazing - and it really worked.

The competition is Saturday, May 22. For ticket info, call 423-257-7500.

DWTS UPDATE

It was a very busy day of practice. I had two sessions - one at lunch and the other last night. I'm starting to get more comfortable with the West Coast Swing routine, however, I realize I've got a long way to go before I get it where it needs to be for the competition.

Also, last night we worked on the choreography for the Rhumba (my second dance for the Dancing With the Tri Cities Stars contest). So far - it's not been as difficult as the West Coast Swing. Oh by the way, I can't remember if I told you or not, but I will performing the Rhumba to the song "While I'm waiting" by John Waller.