Stephanie Romanko Advances to the 2017 Arthur Murray All-Star Championships
Name: Stephanie Romanko
Studio: Fort Worth
All-Star History: I made it to Vegas in 2013, 2014, and 2016 placing 3rd.
Year You Started in the Business: 2009
Role: Specialist
What is the AM All-Star Competition?The Arthur Murray All-Stars is a skills competition for every level of professional within each location around the world. The goal is to grow, develop, and reveal the professionals that demonstrate the best customer service, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. The competition begins in each studio and winners advance to small region, or District, competitions. From there the District winners advance to the large region, or Area, competition. Finally, the Area winners advance to the World Championships in Las Vegas where each Area team tests and one team is pronounced the winner.
More importantly, the real winners are the students of the Arthur Murray Dance Studios as these tests, and accompanying training, help to deliver better communication, teamwork, problem solving, and confidence from every member of the staff.
AML: First off, congratulations on moving into the finals in Last Vegas. How did you react when the announcement was made?
SR: Very excited! So thrilled!
AML: How did you feel going into the Semi-Finals?
SR: I felt prepared, but still a little nervous, as always.
AML: What kind of last minute things did you do to prepare?
SR: I listened to 90's music.
AML: How has this process made you a better professional?
SR: Studying the skills in the All-Star releases has trained me over the years to become a better and more effective communicator on every level in my career - both with my students and fellow team mates in the studio.
AML: What's you All-Star backstory? If you can give a little synopsis of the highs and lows of this competition over the years.
SR: The first couple of years I absolutely dreaded the All-Star testing. But in 2013, I finally made a choice to put my fear and opinions aside and really go for it. I remember writing in my notebook one day during a staff meeting (ironically, I had just totally bombed a training simulation), "this is the year you're going to go to Vegas." And I did.
That was my first year going to the competition and my team placed 4th. The next year I made it to Vegas again and our team got last place. The year after that, I didn't even make it past the district round - that was a bit of a blow to the ego.
Then, last year, I made it to Vegas again and our team placed 3rd. That was a great feeling. And the prize was a certainly a nice bonus as well.
AML: What will it mean to you if the team wins it all this year?
SR: A huge sense of accomplishment four years in the making.
AML: Who are some people that helped you get to this point?
SR: Britt and Douglas (franchisees), and Hunter and Maria Johnson.
AML: Last question, what does this mean to you? What makes it special?
SR: I've always felt one of my strengths in this industry was communication. It's been inspirational for me to see how much learning there is to it to execute. It really can translate into becoming an extremely better teacher and developer of long term students. Also, within the last few years, my success in the All-Star testing has led to me getting promoted to the studio trainer in Fort Worth.
My hope is that one day, being a studio trainer will create a pathway for bigger and better opportunities in the future to become an inspiring and well known trainer in the Arthur Murray company.
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