News From Westerville, Ohio!

from federalvoice.com:

A Defense Supply Center Columbus associate and his wife were recently named the top ballroom dancing couple in their age group at a statewide competition sponsored by their dance studio.

Bill McLoughlin, a customer account specialist in Maritime Customer Operations, and his wife head to the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Westerville after work for dance lessons two or three times a week.

On March 14, the McLoughlins joined competitors from all 12 Fred Astaire Studios in Ohio at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Columbus for the studio’s annual “Freddy Ball.” The event features a full day of dance competition judged by international champions of dance from around the country. All the time and effort paid off when the McLoughlins were named “Top Amateur Couple” in their 46-64 age group category.

The McLoughlins met while dancing swing classes at the Jitterbug Café in 1993. They started ballroom dancing in 1996 with a group class offered at the Downtown Dance Club. Additional group classes prepared them to waltz at their wedding in 1997.

They took a hiatus of five years from dancing when Bill became the deejay for the two dances he and his wife regularly attended, but they gradually got back to dancing and started classes last June.

“We knew a lot of steps from years of dancing, but felt we were missing something in style” Bill McLoughlin said. He said the studio has given them “the elements of frame, partnering
and expression that were lacking in our dancing. As one of the coaches who worked with us
said, ‘Steps are what you do when you’re dancing."