When I was a "cub caller," at one point I got stuck in a rut where my local community hired me for a half dance once a quarter, and that was it. This went on for about 2 years, and because I never got enough "fly time" (as Joseph Pimentel terms it), I never got better. Finally a caller from the nearest neighboring community took me under wing, and I was getting whole evenings, and then I got better very quickly.
So the moral of the story is, organizers can also err on the side of being too cautious about getting new callers in front of a mic. Sure, you can hold discussions about calling, think about calling, practice calling, dream about calling -- but the only way to learn is to get up there and do it. Over and over and over. Gloating alert: The coda to my story is that now other communities book me far in advance, so that by the time my local organizer approaches me, there's no room on my schedule. Local dancers keep asking when I'll call next, and act disappointed to hear I'm not on the schedule. I try to hold back the triumphant evil laughter until out of earshot of the organizer. Lewis
