Hmm. I'd guess I'd just give them a non-committal "Really? Is that so?" kind of reply.
I guess I'm just too old to be nervous about replying in that manner, and I'm way too old to be concerned about being seen as silly (heck, if you saw me dance and saw my results, you'd think I was totally silly for even trying - but, it doesn't hurt anything except my own ego). Anyone if a noncomittal reply and it gives them the impression that I believe them, I guess I just don't see what that matters. It doesn't hurt me.
I don't know how old you are - maybe this is a generational response on my part. If so, I'm sorry if I'm appearing to be antagonistic to you.

DivaGinger is right....

These people who pay to win are a bother and basically a discredit to ballroom on the whole. It seems to me that the worse they are...the more likely they are to win...say a top student award (based on who pays the most) or....compete in heats all alone. These big time weiners strangely are the same people who the pros whisper about because they have unlimited disposable income.

Interesting...and bad form.

I just don't understand the venom against these people. Surely their money is just as good as any other competitor's money. If you take the position that they are "buying" their awards based on quantity rather than quality - well, you all seem to be agreed that everyone already knows this. So - ?? If everyone does indeed know it, well, I don't see how it is hurting you.
And, you don't seem to have much respect for pros who teach/compete with these students - so you wouldn't be taking lessons with them anyway and therefore it isn't likely that you're on a pro's waiting list behind these people. So, again, I simply don't understand how it hurts you?
Just use your superior dance and floorcraft skills to dance your way around them on the dancefloor. I don't see why that leads to such venom against them.

Poor Clary- I just thought he DIDN'T get it, not that he COULDN'T... my mistake- sawy!

The "venom" is the same kind of quick-to-burn-off sort as "That butthole! He just cut me off! Don't you *hate* people like that? Okay, where are we going to for dinner now?" The whole sudden irritation dissipating into a larger task at hand.

Small-scale, it doesn't "hurt". It's an annoyance.

Large-scale, yes, it DOES "hurt"- all of us. When you walk into a studio's social party, you'd like to be able to sit down or dance and enjoy the evening without some hired goon coming up to try to pitch lesson packages to you, or when you show up with your partner, it'd be nice to take a lesson TOGETHER instead of having them separate- and each of them get assigned a coach/"pro"... and sell them on pro-am competition.

They raise fees/prices for everyone.

They make competitions inestimably LONG and DRAWN OUT for everyone, so that HUNDREDS of them- the majority of the comp entries, in fact- get to file up and get participation awards, like the soccer kids have to do now.

Like boyb said- the top student/teacher awards aren't won by the really talented am students of the pro-am part... it's by the people with the most income. The top teacher is the top workhorse. When they turn sideways, you can't SEE them, because they've danced ALL DAY LONG. Wouldn't you HATE to be one of their dance-belts? Oy.

When you have bad dancers with a false sense of accomplishment going around bragging on things they don't deserve, others jump on the "I want shiny stuff too" bandwagon- they sign up for their course of mediocrity, and then, when they're flailing and bumping around on the floor with no regard for floorcraft, we all suffer.

Besides that... are you actually condoning LYING? "I won this fair and square" is NOT the same as "I was the only person on the floor, and I got this anyway." Is that what you want to tell kids? It's okay to have a false sense of entitlement to things they didn't earn and don't deserve? Adults should know better.

Now I've completely tangentialized from the original topic which wasn't Pro/Am bashing, but Loser Liar Bashing instead. Argh.

I have a hard time following your stream of consciousness writing.
Just as a thought: let's say "quality" competitors want to be judged by at least a 5-judge panel. Somehow, those judges have to paid for. If you don't have lots of people - the "quantity dancers" willing to pay $30ish per heat for thoses judges to be there - then what happens?
If the "quantity" dancers are not there, then the cost of each heat would probably increase for the rest of the "quality" competitors, and the cost of an admission ticket would increase. The organizers would have less cash on hand to increase scholarship winnings for the "quality" dancers.
So, in a way, those "quantity" dancers help to subsidize the cost of the venue, judges and scholarships for the others. The "quality" dancers can have the last laugh (if that makes you feel any better.)

Don't worry- I sometimes can't follow myself. What's it called when one self-backleads?

Fortunately, the cost of competing isn't my concern, as I don't- but I know a lot of VERY good dancers in our area who WANT to compete and can't, because of the cost driving it up.

What if the 'wannabes' just went to a separate competiton that graded on proficiency levels, like A, B, C, etc.? They'd still get awards, and the advice the judges could give would either stick, or they'd just hear/see what they wanted to.

The quantity dancers drive UP the cost of the event by inflating it. If they were gone, it'd shrink, and so would the cost of putting it on.

Clary, you're a good sport. Thanks for taking the time to talk this out with me/all of us. I'm glad you could see through my irritated frustration at these people, and you guys know I don't hate all am-halves... just these darned "I invented the internets" ones.

DivaGinger. If there are events run side by side of the same grade with only one couple on the floor at a time then its a wrought.
In the case of only one juvenile who entered their grade weeks before and for some reason are the only one present on the day. They were allowed to take the floor and with all the judges present, completed their four dances right through as though there were six or more on the floor. They at the Presentations were called out by name . Like Event 64 one couple only competing The winners are No.. and their names were anounced and they received first prize. That happend Easter Weekend and it is fair.
I'm sure you would not have cancelled the event even if it was a Senior Event.

So if they were the only ones in their heat, they still wouldn't know that from the other couples on the floor. Wow.

Thanks for the clarification. When this happened at horse shows, they'd just lump them all in and judge them all together, hoping for the best!

DivaGinger. Putting them in to together
did happen to a person i know who is in the over 50's , and had entered and paid weeks before the competition. They put him in his correct grade but with a tribe of 18' year olds. He and his partner had no idea this was going to happen untill they reached the marshalling area. When he tells the tale he usually adds . I was surrounded by teeth and boobs.

The teachers and studios gain points for the number of entries and number of placements. The studio who has the most student entries usually gets the 'top studio' award. There are certain points given for students placing 3rd, 2nd, or 1st.

Some comps award an uncontested first the same points as a 3rd place. So its a numbers game.

The studio might just be doing that so the students feel better about themselves -- getting first place (even if uncontested) might be a boost to their self-esteem. I'm just getting into competition so I know a lot of it doesn't make much sense or is logical, but it's the way things are.