Kia Morgan, The Queen of Codes - Episode 13

This week on That Physical Culture Podcast, Renee flies solo while Justine continues living her best holiday life in San Fran, but stepping into the co-host seat is someone more than qualified for the job.

Enter: physie’s very own Queen of Codes, Kia Morgan. She's not a double dipping diva, she's not even a triple threat, she's physie loco, baby!

Honestly, if there’s a physie association in Australia, chances are Kia’s done it. And this year? She’s casually taking on BJP, APDA, United and Burns all at once because apparently one syllabus simply isn’t enough.

Renee and Kia dive into how on earth she manages to fit it all in, how she methodically learns and separates the work for each code, and what makes each style so unique. 

We chat through her impressive accolades, her genuine love for physie in all its forms, and the deep respect she has for the sport across every association.

We also explore Kia’s incredible family connection to physie, from her Nanny to her mum Kelly, as well as her sister. For Kia, physie isn’t just a hobby — it’s part of her identity, her family history and her life.

And when we say this girl is an encyclopedia of physie information, we mean it. Whether it’s syllabus differences, competition culture, performance styles or physie history, Kia knows her stuff.

Safe to say this will not be her last appearance on the pod.

Enjoy Kia Morgan 💃

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If you’re looking for official guidance or technical instruction, this isn’t your place. But if you love physie and the culture that comes with it, you’re very much in the right room.

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Transcript

0:06

Hello and welcome to that physical culture podcast and I am your host Renee Walker. Again, we don't have Just with us today. Justine is finishing the last days of her trip in San Frans, so she will be back next week. So this one I'm doing on my own. We are speaking to Keia Morgan today. I'm not gonna give away too much because we'll cover a lot of ground when we chat, but you might remember, I'm gonna throw now to something that I said earlier this year about people who do multiple codes. I actually had a few people that I saw who do three andor four okay. So I've created new terms. So we've got double diving dip double dipping divas. Double dipping divas, triple threats. Ooh, yeah. And then there is someone I heard doing four, but I just call that L loco. Oh and so I think she's officially in the nut job category. Um enjoy the chat and we'll have just back next time. This episode of that physical culture podcast is proudly brought to you by Instinctive Health. Instinctive Health is all about evidence-based integrative care with a big focus on gut health, hormones, energy, and overall well-being. They're not about quick fixes or symptom band-aids. They're focused on getting to the root cause of what's really going on in your body. Which honestly feels pretty on brand for fizzy mums because we like to understand the why things work, not just to be told to push through. So if you've been feeling flat, foggy, run down, or just not quite yourself, Instinctive Health offers gut health testing and personalized support to help you get back on track. You can check them out at instinctivehealth.com.au. Trust your gut, nurture your health. Welcome to the show, Kia Morgan. Thank you. Um, usually we'd we'd start by like running through your accolades. Um, and while you've got an amazing rap sheet, um, I think we need to start with the fact that you're not just a double dipping diva or a triple threat, you're something completely different. I don't even know what to call it. We need to come up with a name. We need to think of think of a name first. Yes, yeah, so very multicodes. So you've done apda, yes, BJP, Edith Parsons, Western Zone, United, and Burns. The cat's out of the bag on that one. The cat's out of the bag on that one. Mum wasn't too impressed. Oh, she knows now. She knows now. She was like, Oh. Oh, you know, you can't do four, and I was like, no, I can. I'm managing. So that that's that was my next question. So how are you fitting it all in? Like a crazy person, honestly. Um, but like you have your d designated days to your codes that you usually do. Yeah. And then outside of those, when I don't have a code that I'm doing, I will try to uh do the other code to learn, say, one set of the work, and then once I know that one, move on to the next or that same code. So for example, if it was say a Tuesday, yeah, I'd try to learn United. Yep. And it will just be exercises. I don't try to cram it all in in one. Oh, you just try to nail one routine for one code. And then move on. Because otherwise you would overwhelm yourself and you wouldn't remember it, and it would just yeah. 100%. I don't know how you keep it all in there because I'm only doing one. And I like I gather you've got to do it like one night a week per code. Yeah. So you're out four nights a week. Yeah, four or five, yeah. Wow my god. So explain to me who you're with and what level you're at. So with Apta, I'm an open elite and I am under Central Coast United Fiz and Dance. For um BJP, I'm under Waller Points. Ah, Wallera Points! Yes. Yep. Um, it's the first time actually I've ever been under another club um as well for all these other codes because I've only ever competed for my mum. Oh. Yeah, she raised me on Fizzy. I was very lucky. Well, yeah, I was gonna ask you about that down the track. We'll get there. I think we've got to get to mum because that's its own, it's gotta be its own story. Yeah, so Abdur is Central Coast United Physical Dance, BJP's Wallera Point, Burns is Camden Valley Physical Culture. Which is miles away, right? Yeah, they're like the outskirts of Sydney, I would say. Right, okay. I know her from way back when in Fizzy, so I just kind of message her and I was like, hey, I kind of signed up. Yeah, I was like, hey, would you mind if I signed up under you? And she goes, Of course, let's go. Yep, let's do it. Awesome. Awesome. Or United, I'm under South Coast. Okay. Yes. Because you can do um I've we've been chatting with South Coast and they do a lot of theirs online. Yeah, so I'm very lucky that correspondence is now a thing. Yep. After COVID, I think definitely became a thing like a big uh availability to everybody, and because of that I'm so lucky and I can compete under the codes that I do via correspondence. Yep. Yeah. Well, I mean, it's no different to um the story that we heard about London Fizzy. Yes. And they were doing all that via, you know, they signed up an associate and they got all the syllabus and the video and learnt it, and then it's just like, well, that's fine. Um, if you want to come and compete, you've just got to come home. Yeah. And so it just depends on wherever the competition is. You just need to make sure that you're there. Yeah, basically. Yeah, right. Because I was wondering, how are you doing burns? Correspondence. So she uploads videos, or I ask some of the girls, I'm like, hey, can you just send me a video of this quickly? Yeah, just a little bit. Yeah, and they they just send it through and yeah, I literally just play the video on repeat. So luckily no one else is in the house and it's just going back and forward the same eight counts. I'm glad someone else does it that way. Yes. Yeah, once they get the video. And you've done Western Zone in the past as well. Yes. Yeah. I did that under again, it was Camden Valley when she uh had her Western Zone before the big old change up. Yeah, before the change up, and she she just kind of actually reached out to me. She goes, Hey, do you want to compete under Western Zone under us? I said, Why not? Well, the thing is probably everyone's gonna be after you now, but they know now that they know that you can actually just work off video syllabus and do correspondence, yeah, or anyone's. We could start trading dances. It's like the trading card. The draft trading like the NFL, the draft for two 2026. Yeah, it's just okay. So I have this one. Will you take it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll pay. We'll pay good money too. So wow, that is amazing. And I mean, we've already talked about how you fit it all in. It just sounds like it's you know, a diligent like one code one night a week. Yeah. Until you get through till November. Yeah, until you memorize it really. And I guess too, some of the other codes have like smaller inter-club seasons as well. Like you might not hit all the inter-clubs that are going on through, you know, your July's and Augusts. Yeah, yeah. So pr previously in years there has been overlap. Um, but recently I've actually been very lucky not to jinx anything, but there's not been much overlap. There'll be one, say, in the morning and then in the afternoon, or there will be one on the Saturday and the next on the Sunday. Yeah. So I've been very lucky with that, and it's it's amazing to be able to do that because you're already tanned, you've got your hair done. You're ready to go. Yeah. Well, I think Cups had that happen to her last year. She had Aptor in the morning, and then she came over to our interclub in the afternoon. Um she placed, I think she came first in both. That's amazing. And then she's like, off to Bali now. And I'm like, absolute queen. Just walk out, you know, just won both competitions in one day and having a holiday in Bali. I'm so jealous. What a way to celebrate. We've got to get back to your accolades because that's usually how we start. Okay. Is like, you know, roll out the carpet. Um, and I I couldn't really do that this time because I was like, well, if I rattle off your accolades, I'm gonna give up already all the codes that you've already done. So between five and eleven, you are undefeated central western zone champion. You said prior to blue ribbons. What happened with blue ribbons? Because I'm so new to all of this. So you know when you compete at your BJP, yeah. Yeah, and the first place gets the blue ribbon. Yeah. I didn't have that when I was younger. You just got the first place and you know your national's number and all that sort of stuff and all the information. Yeah, you got all that, but I didn't get a blue ribbon. And I remember as a kid I was so obsessed with them. What did you get? All I wanted. Just a first place medal. Just a first place medal, but like you got the medal and the certificate and everything, and it was amazing. And you got to celebrate with your teammates once you marched off that floor in a diagonal line. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. Yeah, right. You know, being five years old, and I'm like, oh, you're doing a diagonal line, like the seniors. I thought I was so cool. Um, but yeah, I was just, I was like, Mum, all the little kids are getting the ribbon and I ripped them the ribbon. Yeah, but you were way past it by then. Yeah, I was like 27 and I'm like, Mum. Do you reckon they'll swap all my medals over for ribbons? Imagine if I just read. Retrofit them. And then um after that, you uh achieved two team championships. You were eight years old competing in the 13 and 14 sections. Yes, so um, like I said, when I was competing under mum and you can borrow girls from other age groups. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I just remember being a huge burrow. It is, you know. That's a big burrow up. But I guess if you can do the work. Yeah, so mum always borrowed me and one of my other younger friends um to do an older team because there were much more older girls than there were younger, and you couldn't bring them that far down, I believe. I believe you could bring younger girls down. Yeah, you can go up because then there's no advantage to bringing better older girls down, but you can bring little girls up. Yeah, so that's what she did. It's a huge jump from eight into the 13 to 14 section, though. It's hilarious. You must have all these different and then there's this here down at the end. It's still to this day it is still the the case. I'm always thinking. I was tiny, and yeah, it was just so funny looking at the other girls, and then they're like, oh. And then there's you know the two the two young ones on the end. As long as you're keeping time. Look, we were so Yep, and you and you won two cheat team championships doing that trade-up. Wow, oh, she would have been so proud. She yeah. Because that I mean, the first time you did it, because you've done it twice, right? Yes. The first time you did it, she was probably like, I'm taking a bit of a gamble here, but I think she can do it. Yeah. Imagine like the fact that you actually all won, how excited she would have been. No wonder she's got it framed. She was she's so excited, and I just remember I was like, Oh, I get to touch the blue ribbon. Again. The ribbon. Like I said, I was obsessed with him. I was just like, Mom, can I touch it? Oh, that's so funny. Um, our mate Mariah, who's been on before, um, her daughter, when she was a little bit younger, had decided that she wanted to collect all of the colours. So she was like, Well, I haven't got a third. Like, I I don't have the green one yet. And it's like, but no one's going. I mean, everyone's happy to get third. No one's like charging for third though, but she was like, No, but I just I just want all the colours. So I totally get the ribbons thing. Yes, totally understand the colours. That's I love that. It's very appealing. It is. Everyone wants the blue one. And then in uh 2013, you made the opera house for BJP. Yes, and you were the 16-year-old grand champion at EP. Was that in the same year? That was in the same year, yes. Oh my god. What a year! It was it was a great year that um I had a really bad knee injury earlier in the year. Like it wasn't like an operation or anything, it was just happened via dancing, and no one kind of knew what had caused it, what was wrong with it. Yeah, exactly what was gonna fix it. You would have been so young. Yeah, I was only 16, so I was kind of like, oh, I said to Mum, I was like, I don't care what I have to do. I said I really just want to just do well at fizzy this year, yeah, because I don't know if I'll be able to perform after because they don't know what's the surgery, yeah. Like if I'll get the surgery or and they didn't even know if it was an ACL or a like what the actual injury was. No, they still don't to this day. I've tried to go to so many, and I'm just kind of I've given up. I'm like, look, it's I've got a bad knee. Bad knee, so it's like full like our grandparents didn't know about ACLs or anything like oh, I've just got a dicky knee, yeah. That's all there is to it. I can't tell you much more. Exactly, that's exactly what it was. So I was like, oh, it is what it is. But then um I remember being backstage for BJP and they called the number and they they had little pencils in the bag, and it was a pink and yellow pencil that you would either pick for the heats. So um I just remember picking that and I was like, oh wow, that's amazing. It didn't like kind of really click back then. Yeah, but even as a 16-year-old. No, for some like I was like, oh, this is amazing, like it's great. I'm excited. Yeah, I'm excited. You don't really I guess you just don't really clock the stakes that are involved and how much work it takes to get there, and then possibly it might not happen again, too. No, exactly, yeah. And I don't think I took that into account. I was just kind of like, oh yeah, whoa, I got to Opera House, this is great. That's amazing. And was that back when everyone went, or by then they were only doing like um senior? Oh well, yeah, everyone must have gone if you were 16. So when I was 16, they were still taking the ladies to Opera House. Yeah, well. Seniors. Yeah, changed up. Yeah. Um, and you've been lucky enough to make the finals for each code. Yes, very, very lucky. Wow, even EP. Yes, even EP. Oh. So yeah, I've been very lucky to have not only amazing teachers to help you get that and have the confidence in order to go and compete, especially doing it via correspondence. Like it's so hard uh to consistently get down to a class. So when you do it via correspondence and have a class and they're actually, you know, willing to give you corrections, just going via correspondence feels a bit different than to actually having an in-person class. Oh, I can imagine. Yeah. Wildly different because I mean, there's so many corrections. Yeah, and there's so many corrections. Like I'll go I go two nights a week. Yeah. And there won't be a night where I don't have a correction. Power to those who people who can do it, but I'd say you'd already have to be very good at fizzy to be nailing it. I say it would you just have to be confident in your positions. Just your basic positions. You've got to have the basics down pat where I don't I think you do. Oh no way. I'm still learning positions. I still don't know the names of positions. But if you make make up your own names, that's what I've always done. I'm like, oh no, no, I call like I have T-Rex arms I've made up. So like when someone goes through we we are talking about T-Rex a little bit this year, and my husband actually dances with T-Rex arms when he's drunk, so I totally get what T-Rex is. See, exactly. We could do fizzy. Bring back boys fizzy. Oh boys fizzy. Well, oh we had a great chat to Jake um from EP on the last episode. And um, newsflash, I just got a message from EP this week to say that boys can continue on now. That's amazing. I know, what great news because Jake's 12, yeah, and the traditional cutoff was 13. And and you know, we did ask him on the pod, we were like, so do you want to continue? And um, I'd forgotten about the cutoff. And he said, Oh, if I'm allowed to, I'd love to. And and I said to Jos later on, I was like, what do you think he meant by like if I'm allowed to, I'd love to? And she's like, Oh, because it gets cut off at 13. Traditionally, they don't go through to seniors, they can do it in the juniors, and I was like, Oh no, like he loves it, like he's the like fizzy boy poster boy, like you know, um, so it's so good that they've had that announcement that we this week. So I'm really happy for him. Absolutely, for the inclusivity as well, because growing up, um getting older and quitting dance, it was hard to try and find like I loved Fizzy, obviously, but it was hard to try and like keep fit and active with only you know the one or two codes that I was doing, which is how apta came about and how it ri like came into my life. Yeah, so so because I've done this all back the other way because I've gone, let's look at how many codes she does, and now we've looked at all your accolades. I'll take it back to the traditional way of starting a podcast, which is tell me how it all started. Okay, so I started out of the womb. So you danced out. I danced straight out onto that nappy. Exactly, yes. Oh my goodness, yes. But marched out of the womb. I had been doing it since I was in nappies. Um, my mum did advise me that I actually, up until about five or something, I wouldn't go to class or do class unless I had my Dorothy Taylor on. Oh, you're a Wiggles kid. I'm a wiggles kid. You are so much younger than me. When we were talking about before, I was like, wow, you were 16 in 2013. Shit. That's how I feel being a senior right now. Yeah, right. How old are you now, if you don't mind me asking? No, absolutely not. 29. Oh, okay, yeah. Same around the same age as Montana. Yes, yeah. Yeah, and she I think she said she's feeling it as well. We we do, because you don't realise until the younger ones come up and then what they can do. Oh, okay. I thought like, I remember you being like the 13s or something. Yeah, you're a baby. Yeah, and then you look and you depending on, you know, kind of what interclub you're in, they might split you, but you're like, oh, okay, I'm competing with, you know, an 18-year-old. Yeah. Flexy felicity over there. Yeah, literally. With no dicky knee. With no dicky knee, yes! Like, okay, I'll just give me the medal and call today, please. Yeah, so how long had your mum done fizzy for? Like, was she a lifer fizzy girl as well? She, I believe she was originally a ballroom dancer first. Wow. And Nanny uh introduced her to fizzy. And then yeah, mum just always grew up with both dancing and fizzy, which is what I grew up with. Ballroom dancing and fizzy. Yeah. They do seem fairly complementary aside from the fact that you don't need a partner. Um, did she start in EP or Um that's a very good question. I haven't asked her. I feel like it might have been. I'm just not too sure. I'm too young to remember which she started with. Yeah, because I I feel like EP gives ballroom vibes. I think it's the skirt. The sparkles or yeah, it's the sparkles and the skirt, and just it's got a real ladylike vibe about it. That's coming from me from an outsider's perspective. I started with BJP. Oh yep. So came out of the womb doing BJP. Oh right. And then uh mum just kind of like one day goes, Oh hey, um I've found, you know, EP, this is what I started with, and I want you to, you know, try and give it a go. I just want to see what you think of it. Yep. And I just did it, and that's I think that might have just been where my fizzy addiction started. Because she goes. Yes, because it does seem like a an an addiction, like a pathological thing going on for you. It truly is. It's bad. It's caught on like a virus, and you're like, How many? How many can I do? Where's the next one? Start another code. No, no one is starting another code. I've already outlawed that and then when did you go to Aptor? Um, that was kind of later. So that was I had just finished school. I had stopped dancing at the time. Uh, you know, finished year 12 and everything. I stopped dancing because I was just kind of like, oh, I don't really, you know, want to go to West Edford's and want to do the ballet exams anymore. I'm getting a bit old and all the younger girls are starting to come up, kind of like fizzy. It's kind of an awkward age, isn't it, for a dancer? Like mum kind of found as well, because she goes, I know that you love it and you you're itching to do something else, but dancing just like you said, it's that awkward age. So she looked and again found another code, and yeah, she just was. Kind of like, hey, so there's this one, why don't you give this one a go? And again, fell in love with another code. So yes. I love it. So you're clearly a huge fan of fizzy. Tell me what it is about the sport that you love so much. Because I've realized lately we haven't actually asked too many people that question. Like, what is it that you just love about it so much? There's there's so much aside from being able to do your hair and makeup and get on the floor, you know, buy different performance wear or leotards or whatever it may be. Yep. Uh it's it's honestly the girls and the friendships you make from other clubs. Yeah, cool. You you can go to an interclub and you can make friends, you know, sitting at the back, warming up, all that sort of stuff, and then you go off to say, you know, your champion girl, and then you're like, oh hey, you were at this interclub. I remember you, and then you have a friend out the back, and they're all so supportive when your number gets called, or like it's the little things you can tell them, like you know, you say, Oh, you know, I'm just really aiming for say third, I really want third, and if they see you get that, it's they're like, Oh my god, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They're so supportive. I do feel like it's a very supportive space, and I think people from the outside who don't do fizzy. I went to an all-girls school, and I feel like it's a really similar vibe in that a lot of people used to say, Oh, your school, oh, I've heard about like how bitchy it is and like the fights and blah blah blah. And you're like, nah, we're fine, we're we're all good over here. Like, I don't know where you're getting all these stories from. I'd actually love to hear them. Um, but I feel a little bit similar in fizzy, where I feel like people go, oh, it must be like, you know, it's competitive and it's women, and you know, it's hair and makeup, and it's a little bit like image conscious to a point. And I was like, no, it's all shapes and sizes, it's all types of people, people with disabilities, like we everyone's there, all ages, up to 80, like maybe 90. I think there's someone in Tari Great Lakes who's doing it at like 90. That's amazing. And then I mean, this is a tough one. Which one's your favourite? Because I feel like everyone after if if you said I've literally done you haven't done Leifizzy is the only one you haven't done, have you? That's the only one, yeah. That you haven't done because it's quite it's quite small. Yeah. Um, which is the favourite that will always have your heart. They're they're all my favourite in all different aspects. So like it's like picking a favourite child, but because I just I love them all. They all just have their own thing from each individual code that I love and I really like being able to do all of that. I'm so lucky to be able to do that. Oh, 100%. Um, do you find they're all fairly complementary to one another? Like Montana said that apta and BJP work really well together because she said she felt her positions were looking stronger since she's been back at BJP. Where I guess Apta might be a little bit more dance focused, so it's not as positions obsessive. Yeah, absolutely. So with Apta, I get to be able to keep my flexibility of what I do have um without putting as much strain on it as if I was doing like intense dancing every day. Yeah. You get that sort of range of um expression as well in your dance that you're probably missing from leaving dance. It's the complementary of both the positions and the dance. So, you know, each year we kind of had a theme for the dances for seniors, and that's what I really liked about it. That you could interpret it differently as well. Everybody has different interpretations of whether it be moves or how to do something. And the timing stuff is an object. Absolutely, yeah. Oh my god, I cannot believe the difference in timing. It's it's crazy, but I love being able to see how someone else interpreted it because then you're like, oh wait, that's actually I didn't think about that. Yeah, yeah, or it really works with the music or yeah, and some things complement, you know, some people like the the timing or this specific move or how they held it. Um, you know, and everyone's to each their own, and I think it's so beautiful to be able to watch all the girls on the floor and their different interpretations, yeah, and the individuality. Absolutely, yeah. And then B J A Ps like, you know, it's not as a bigger focus on individuality, but it's got a little bit more than EP, you'd say. Like, EP's to the book from what I experienced going to do their class the other day. I was like, there's so much detail. You know, we set the cat amongst the pigeons early on when my mate the mouth from the south said that BJP was the hardest, followed by Apta, then EP. Um, which I'm interested to get your take on, actually, because while I know, you know, from the outset EP does look a little bit easier, it's the amount of detail in their work that you just go, oh, you've got a nail every little piece of that, whereas there's probably a bit more flow to apter that there's not as much, you know, finicky detail like there is in EP. I'm interested to know what you think. You kind of hit the nail on the head because but it depends on again where you come from and what your background is. Yeah, yeah. So if you're a dancer, it's definitely like aptar, and you have more free free range of movement and interpretation and timing. Uh BJP, you can add your own, you know, a little bit of flair and again the timing, especially with contemporary EPs definitely uh stick to the book, but like you said, it's the details, left's on top of rights, making sure uh you know, a balance is whether it be 45 degrees, 90 degrees ankle height, that sort of stuff. And I don't think people think about that when they look at EP is oh, okay, that actually has to be ankle height, it's not oh, it looks easy. Yeah, um, but I feel like it's that level of detail that you wouldn't be able to get over in EP. Yeah, absolutely. And they are especially, you know, how high your arms go, where flights are, where opens are, things like that. Yeah, absolutely. And it's it's very good if you need help with positions. Like if you aren't too confident with your basic positions, I would say definitely double dip into EP. Dip your toe in, go on. Yeah, absolutely. Nikki's always saying, Oh yeah, we've got to choose if we've got a Tuesday night class. I'm like, oh, it doubles up with mine. I haven't actually spoken to anyone from uh uh United before, like spoken to no United Girlies. So can you tell us a little bit about United? And Um So last year was my first year doing it. I I loved it because again I love positions, displaying positions and the strength, but also being able to add a little bit of your own flair to it. Okay, so it's sort of a BJP. I would say it's very I would say United is a mix between EP and BJP. So if you wanted a middle ground for both of those, that's nice. That's what that's my interpretation. That's my take. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, cool. I think it's awesome because it is it has also different sections. So for I'm in seniors, they have div one, two, and three. Yeah, right. Love that. Yeah, so if you say if someone came over and they hadn't been to, let's say, Grant at another code or opera house, they're kind of like, okay, well, you you don't go in with the div one girls because such a idea. You don't go in with the div one girls because they have been, you know, to Opera House or successful in whether it be another code or United, you can go, you know, two or three. You can have great success in another division. Absolutely, and I think that's such a good take on it div divisions to be able to have other girls do it and want to to do it more because sometimes it feels a bit defeating. Well, it sounds like that's what's going on at APTA as well. Not that I've ever done APTA, but they have divisions and like break it up based on skill level or time spent even within the the grading. Or if you just want to feel, I guess, more confident on the floor. I know I felt a bit intimidated coming back in 2023 when I first moved here, and I was really intimidated to go and compete at my first interclub, uh, not having been on the floor for a few years because of COVID, obviously. Yep, of course. Um and to come back and go back on with the open seniors and girls who have made and placed at Opera House and everything like that. I just was kind of like, well, why am I here? It's not super motivating, is it? No, it's kind of yeah, you just feel defeated before you get out on the floor. But I try to talk myself out of it and be like, I'm gonna do my best. Yeah, you're in the age group, you wouldn't be learning it, and you wouldn't be here if you couldn't do it. So it's sort of that mindset I think that you've got to keep in mind is just like you're only competing against your last beer. Yeah, absolutely, and that's kind of the mindset that I've started to take on now. I said, I just want to do better than what I did at interclubs when I go out for champion girl, that's all I want to do. And last year I went on the floor at Homebush. I somehow got so sick. I don't know what happened. It was horrible. Oh no, like not a fun time, but I got out on the floor and bless my mum for being there because she always sits at the back, which I really like because when I change lines, I look at her and I'm kind of like, oh, am I doing okay? Because I just kind of looked up at her, up at her, the the nose was going, the cough, you can't breathe. And I was like, I can't breathe with doing the work, let alone being sick on top of that. I know she was just like you're doing it. Especially the warm-up, you know, the cardio. Usually you're already gassed after the march, really. Yes. I am no, I feel that girl, me too. Um, but yeah, so I just kind of looked up to up at her and she was like, Yeah, no. Like she did a thumbs up, she's like, Keep going, keep going. And I just said, Did I look okay? Because that was my first year in the 28ths and overs. And that's a very big, intimidating group. It's it's scary. The girls are so lovely. It's not the girls that are scary, it's just being in that age group in that pitch bracket. Yeah. Because you've been doing fizzy for so long, and then you're then you're there. And can't even imagine it. It was yeah, so hard. It was so hard. But I got lots of compliments on my work that year, and I said, look, that's the main thing. And I said, I just wanted to get to semis, and I did, and I said that's that's awesome. For for 28 and overs, I said that was a big achievement. And I said, Mum doing that sick. I said, I'm so proud of myself. Yeah. I mean, you shouldn't, but imagine how well you didn't imagine, imagine if I didn't get sick. Yes, but I just said, Look, I couldn't breathe on that floor, mum, but I got through it. Oh, your mum sounds like such a great supporter. She's been my biggest supporter since day one. So nice. Yeah. And she's she's been a fizzy teacher, it sounds like. Yeah, so she's she assisted in Mudgy when it was under Candos Ralston, I believe it was. Okay, yeah. Then it turned into Club 2850. Wow, that's sounds like a nightclub. I didn't know what it was, and it was just like it was club two eight slash five. Oh, it's it's a postcode. Postcode shit. That sounded real cool. That's so smart, actually, Mark. Like, that's so cool. Yeah. And it turned into Cudjigong Valley. Oh, this is Cudigong Valley fizzy. Many changes. And was it changing codes through those changes, or it was just changing who was running it? Just who was running it. She's still there and she's I fingers crossed she's gonna compete. Oh yeah. Has she not competed for a little while? No, she hasn't competed since about I would say 2018, I think. Yeah, right. She hasn't competed. Pre-COVID. Yeah. Yep. Shout out Kelly. Get back on that floor. I want to see out there. Yes, we're like literally picking out like the performance wear and everything too. So you've got interclub number one. This is what we're working on. Come on, Kelly. You've got to go out. Be a good example. Exactly. See? My next question is what does November look like for you? Because my November for the podcast is already looking like a hot mess. And I'm like, how are you doing it? Girl, you are booked and busy. Yes. You are booked and busy. Let's talk routines. Okay. Which is normally your favourite, and how are you feeling about the work this year? I'll start with APDAR. I always love the work coming from a dance background. I always do love it. Um my favourite one would probably have to be the dance because I found when my mum was going through our old VHS tapes when she used to record us at interclubs, my sister did the same dance years ago. You have a sister. I have a sister. Does she still do fizzy? She's dipping her toe in it. She's not quite sure. She always did when we were younger. Cara, come on back. Oh yeah, she's gonna be like, Why did you take my name? Why did you tell her fess me up? Literally, yes. One of the best memories though, sorry, I do have to mention this. We were at an interclub, and all the girls that were meant to compete with my sister, you know, they had gotten sick or something, and it turns out on the day my sister was the only one competing, and she goes, Kia, I can't do this. No, I can't, I'm not getting on the floor alone. I'm not gonna stand out there on my own solo. I would usually like generally learn the all of the work. Yeah, right. Because mum was just like, you know, you're the daughter of the teacher. You've been filling in for so many different teams over the years. I guess she's just like, please learn the work. And then I don't have to teach it to you later. Yeah, she I would just kind of like stand at the back of class and do it because I was never we're never in an age group together to be able to do that. And all I wanted was just to not even compete with her once, just to get on the floor with her, and that was the year that I got to do it. We learned like they were like, Oh, we're having a break for the judges, so I learned the work, and then we got on the floor and it was. Just the two of you. Just the two of you. She got a video, yeah. It's the best heart melt. Yeah, that's like one of my favourite memories that I finally got to do that. Dance is my favorite, yeah. Um, sometimes it can be the warm-up, like last year it was the warm-up. This year it's the dance for apter. Yep. For BJP, I would have to say it's probably the contemporary. I don't usually like I feel silly in class doing, you know, the interpretation and the feeling and the sort of the soul. And the emotion and the lack of a smile and yeah. It just feels so silly displaying it in class because I'm just like, oh, I'm not doing it right. I've learned that if I don't do it and then if I make a mistake to me, which is only bonoced to you, yeah, then no one's gonna know if you're doing, you know, the rent the faces that you've done in class. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I obviously as a teacher used to preach that to my students and say, you know, just do a face. Do the faces because actually no one's looking. We're all looking at the front. Yeah. And the teacher doesn't care. I'm not looking at your face, I'm looking at your work. So yeah, yeah, yeah. And that would be my favorite one for BGP. Um, United. I would say exercises, because like I said, I do also love the positions aspect of it as well. Yep, yep. And that's a very a strong one with also your long line balances to display the flexibility. Yes. Um, I've only just started to kind of learn the burns work skill. So by correspondence too. Yes, yeah. So still looking at that, but it's very position-y again. So something that I like to be able to have the positions, you know, where it is. Yeah. I guess when it's so hard, like so tight on positions, it would, if you've done it for a long time, technically be easier to do than say an aptor. Yeah, so it's because they've got the same like when we went and did EP, I was like, oh, it's like we're all speaking the same language, but we're not from the same country. Yes. It's so weird. You could go to another club and they say do a flight and you'll know exactly what that is. Or yard. Yeah, exactly. But yeah, so it's just depending on, you know, the positions and if you want a more positions aspect of it, which I personally love people being able to display the the lines, the reaches that are diagonally downs, diagonally ups to the sides, those kinds of positions. I love seeing that because as simple as they may seem, they actually are pretty hard to get because you might have a long torso, you might have a shorter torso. Like I've always had to adjust my work being so short. But and I'm always at the back. Oh, you're I'm always at the front. I have a question. I have found that a lot of fizzy ladies are very modest and don't like to talk about their big achievements. Um, do you know what the hell that's about? Because I don't understand it. And is it some sort of like it's not ladylike to talk a big game? Like I'm not sure if that's the thing, or they don't want to come across as whether it be cocky or too, you know, oh, but I've done this. Yeah. It's definitely I love to hear about people's achievements. Like if they're like I'm an eight-time grand champion. I'm like, that's so amazing. That's cool. That's what I'm missing. That's what I'm like. Tell me everything. Like, yes, let me live vicariously through you, through your achievements. So it's inspiring, but I feel like you know, the way I find out about most people's achievements is from the girl standing next to them saying, Oh, you should find out what she's done and she's done X, Y, and Z. I'm like, why don't you tell me? No, it's not. Everyone's so modest. Yeah. Because I yeah, I just don't think I think they just don't want to come across as too too cocky or like, hey, but I've done this. Yeah. It's like, no, I'm a big deal. Like I said, in the fizzy community, they're so supportive and they're like, oh gosh, what have you done? Yeah, there's none of that chat. You're just like, oh yeah, I've done, you know, like you said, XYZ, and you're like, that's amazing. Oh my gosh, tell me more about it. How did you feel? What were you wearing? You know? Yeah. The other question I have is how do you think Fizzy has changed in your experience? Because I know everyone feels a bit funny about answering that question, because it is evolving so much, but in your experience, because you've done it since the womb, like what are you feeling looking at it over the years? Like you would have almost you might not have had piano days, right? When you started out, there wouldn't have been that like no one was playing piano. No, not in uh my You're way too young for that. Way too young. But you would have, did you not have, you know, back in the day when they had their own version of the music? Were you in that era? So yes, I was in the era of there was only piano music, but on the CD. Oh. So it was only piano versions of said songs. Oh, got you, the piano version of a hit song. The covers, like they would get someone to sing them. I've heard some of the covers and I was like, but I guess it's a way to get around to the licensing fees. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, so you would have seen, you know, music like all of a sudden the real track comes out that you get to dance to would have been an absolute like mind-blow. Absolutely. I remember when they were like, Oh, you know, we're not getting the covers anymore, they're getting the actual song. I was like, Yes, how excited! How excited! Yes, and then you know, performance was changed a lot over the years, like there's so many different components to it, and then appders you you know would have been around for the app to split, like there's just there's been so much change in your lifetime of fizzy. Yes. So when I did BJP, it was only leotards, and they would come out with six designs, I believe it was for juniors and seniors, and only you know, the juniors were allowed to wear the juniors, and the seniors were allowed to wear the seniors. Um, they used to have hologram, I remember, for seniors only. Everyone, when we did the performance wear episode, was like, bring back the hologram. I'm so upset. I missed the hologram era. Oh no! And that's all I wanted as a kid. I was like, mum, but that's it. Because was it seniors and light ladies? Yeah, yeah. They were allowed to wear it, but and you missed your ribbons as well on the ribbons, missed the hologram, far out. All the favourite parts. It was just still the six leotards, as long as I could remember. Um, and then they went to performance wear. They branched out in I think it was 2019. Okay, cool. And I was like, oh, that's actually like such a cool concept. Like you don't have to wear a leotard, yeah. Yeah, the pants and the top. And I was like, that's I live for the pants and the top. It's such a good idea. Like, you know, women have insecurities, and I think it's so good to be able to be like, you know what, I don't want to wear a leotard, I'm gonna wear the pants. Yeah, well and you can still wear the leotard too. Oh, okay, I've got a game for us to play. Oh, okay. So for the first part, I'm gonna say word, and then you tell me the first word that comes into your head. Okay. BJP. Jackie. You fucking nailed it. Um, apter. Sparkles. Oh, I like that. E P. Even more sparkles. More, more, more. Extra sparkles. Yes. United. Chatswood part two. Oh because I compete there for Aptor Champion Girl and then it was grand for United. Oh, they go to Chatswood too. It was it's it's such a beautiful stage. Yeah. And I was like, oh Chatswood Chase. Yes, yeah. I didn't know there was a performance area in there. Yeah. Can you go see a show in Chatswood? Yeah. There's a theatre. It's it's it's hard to explain. It's it's kind of like the opera house, but a Chatswood version. Like if you can sit down and like up here, you can't sit back. Yeah. It's so it's just Chatswood 2.0. Yeah. Yeah, cool. Alright. Um Marching. Shoulders. Oh, that's a good hack. Like all I think about is That's what you think of. Don't move. Don't move your shoulders. Yeah, I'm having heaps of problems with my shoulders. There's always something that makes sense that that's your word for marching is the shoulders opera house. Tall. Oh I just remembered doing a move in rhythm relaxed, um, because it was when I was 16, and I had to arch my back, and I looked up at the roof, and like it just looked like it went forever. And I was kind of like, oh I love that experiential memory. That's so cool. I could tell you who, or what, what year, the song it was, that's the kind of fizzy, yeah. I think we're gonna have to get you back on. Oh, just Justine's gonna be so jealous. Actually, my next my next word is just for Justine. Lunch group. Oh, because it's a EP. Yeah. Lunch. Yeah. Do you like lunch? I I did. Yeah. When you were doing EP. Yeah. Yeah. It was just, I was like, okay, lunge group, it's the last one before the dance, let's go. Yeah. Come on, we're nearly there. Yeah, exactly. It's that feeling. Like when you're doing floor drill or exercises now at BJP, you're kind of like, okay, this is the last one before the dance, let's go. Well, it's like when we were talking to Ash Men's Forth, and we were like, How do you get through like such a big, you know, stage performance? Like she said, you've got to chunk it up and know that like you're getting to the gates, like you're hitting the gate of like, oh, I got through that one. I got through that one. And I was like, Oh, I totally get through the I get that because that's every routine and finishing, and you're like, oh my god, I've only got two to go. Okay, now this part of the game is preferences. So I'll say X versus Y. Okay. And you've got to pick one. Okay. Ready? Leotards versus performance wear. Leotards. Because I'm a short girl, but I like to be able to look, I feel like I look longer in a leotard. It's I think it is more complementary to the short queens having a leotard on. It makes probably makes your legs look longer as well to have the flesh colour out. Yeah. Um, ballets or barefoot? Barefoot. Oh it's because even when I did EP, I never practiced in my ballets ever. The only time I wore them was at competitions. Oh wow! Is that common? I don't think so. Right. No, everyone's wearing their ballets. Usually when I like to see videos of other girls training, they were wearing their ballets, and I was kind of like, oh, that's not oh, am I meant to be doing that? Oopsies. I mean, I'll take your guidance because I'm new to this, but I feel like having ballets on would be a bit of a cheat for not having a pointed toe all the time. Like you can point, you know, you can roughly point your toe, and you can point your toe. If you've got a ballet on, that's sort of like, yeah, it's pointed. It's pointed. Yeah, I feel like, um, unless you have a you know, very lucky born with good archers, um, but also in saying that you do get to put grips on them. You can put grips on them. So that's kind of why I was a little debating a little bit. Oh, no slippage. No slippage, just put some people use different things. So mummy to do it all the time. Uh marching with a fist or an open hand. I reckon you'd actually not mind a fist if you're I don't mind it. And it gives your hand something to do. Yeah. Yeah. It depends on how it's done. Yeah. But I do prefer a a straight, like an open hand. Yep. Because it's more can like consistent, whereas, well, some people, you know, have very soft hands. They're very human. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um but you like a harder hand to different types of fists. Oh yeah. Right. Yes, I've heard of like fists like this and fists like this and fists like this. Yeah, and yeah, no, absolutely. My mum, when I first started, was trying to explain the marching to me, and she goes, Okay, so you don't have, you know, this, you've got an extra march on the corn, an extra swing on the corner, you've got to hold your hands like this, and then you've got to, you know, there was something else. Yeah, that's different. She said there's an extra swing, and I was just like, Oh, okay. I didn't really, I was young, I didn't really think much of it. You're a sponge. You're just like, What about tell me and I'll do it? Yeah, basically. I was like, just tell me what you want and I'll do it. Yeah. But she told me, she's like, you you just want to like, you know, be very soft with it because it's such an elegant fizzy, and obviously you've got the skirts and the ballets and the bling. I just think having a fist is just a bit, it's a bit too much. And like when your knuckles are very aligned, I think it looks it it's a very clean, completed look. Yeah. Yeah, when when they're aligned. But not everyone's are, I guess. Yeah, like with the other marching, they're all mostly out. Some of them have more fingers down, some of them have all of them clustered together. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Contemporary advanced versus swing. Because there's a lot of people who are sad that there's no swing. I loved swing. Yeah. I remember one interclub, and it's this one song, and I remember my mum and her best friend were on the floor together. And it just looked amazing. It was just, I remember watching them and it was so beautiful, and I love that. And that's just my one memory of those two being on the floor together. Wow, it's just so much part of your life, isn't it? Oh, absolutely. Yeah, I love that feeling. What about last one? Teams or individual? Are you a Teams girl or are you an individual girl? Individual. Yeah. I love teams and I love being able to go on with my teammates, and I'm so lucky to actually be able to be in a team because when I was out with uh mum under Kudjigong Valley, we didn't have enough girls. We were only it was generally mean class. There were a few girls that I did get in, and one of my friends got her friends in. Um to make a bigger class, yeah, but then after a few years they left. But to to have come here now and to have been in a team and have the other girls there, it it's so great. I've made so many new friends coming here and being in a team, but also in saying that if a mistake is made, it's on me. I know. I can only blame myself. I know. Or if I slightly hesitate a little bit more pressure. It's on it, it's just on me. Yeah. I do like individual too. Yeah. I'm I'm we did well in teens last year. We came second in our section. Oh, congratulations! Yeah, and I like well I'd placed one time before, but it was like three years ago. So I was like, oh my god, I've really won! Yeah, I was so excited. On to performance, how do you feel this year is looking for you? And um, how do you feel about the work? Uh I don't know. I just I always generally love the work. There's always some not complications, just some great routines that don't suit you, maybe? Yeah, yeah, probably suit me. Yeah. Um I have to adjust, and that's generally what I try to do now once I know the work is adjust things to being a shorter person, you know, as taller people even have to do. Oh, 100%. Teams is a nightmare for tall people because my teacher's like, small steps, you're getting so far away from everyone else. Yes, yeah. Yeah, it works both ways, I bet. Yeah. For the short short queens, too. Yeah, so in Teams, it's like, okay, key, you can have your steps, and then it's individual let's you need bigger steps. Take up space. I'm not used to taking up space. Um, but it's they're they're getting there, they're still getting in my head, like wrapping around some choreo to try and, you know, interpret it and make it your own, like you said, like we said with timing earlier. But yeah, it's just it's it's getting there. So yeah. And do you have any goals for this year, or are you pretty much just like let's be better than last year's beer? I think I have different goals. Yeah. So for APTA, I I just kind of want to see how I go this year. Yeah. Um, I have been very lucky enough to get to the ICC. Oh, wow. So, so lucky to be able to get there. I would love to get there this year again, just to kind of, you know, just to have that. It's a very it's a great achievement, especially in open elite. Yeah, yeah, 100%. It sounds really hard. A dream is always achieving a place. Yeah. Um, I that that's a dream. I would love that. But I think just to get to ICC for for BGP, I think just to at least again semi. Yeah. Again, Opera House is a dream. I would love to. Um, it would be so great to be up there on that stage with all those girls. Uh for United, same thing, just get there. Yep. I have the most gorgeous friends that and that's Chatswood 2.0. Yes, yep, Chatswood Get. Yeah. So um to be able to get there with with all my friends like we did last year, that would just be so great. It was it was so great. It was so exciting. You didn't feel nervous backstage, you were with your friends. Yeah, if something happened, they were like, oh, you know, you break a brass strap, here you go, you've got another one. Yeah, yeah. That's what I love about fizzy is there's none of this, like, you know, if you need help, um, I'm not gonna give it to you because I'm gonna have the upper advantage. Like it it wouldn't matter what was going on, it could be someone from another club, and I guarantee if I said something I need, you know, a tampon, anything, someone would be like, Oh yeah, I've got one. Yeah. Whereas I don't think that exists in all sports, they'd be like, Oh, well, you're on your own there. Sorry, you've got to put down a calls. No, they I always pack, I'd be very lucky. Mum and I are over packers. Yeah. So we'll see everything. Yep. So, you know, if the friend's like, oh, I don't have whether it be a hair piece or something. Um Bobby pins and the works. I lent one of my hair pieces to another girl because now controversially, I'm not a natural bright redhead. Oh, I'm so shocked. I can't believe it. Oh, I knew you were shocked. No. I'm very lucky that mum and I are both hairdressers in order just to be able to. Are you? Yes. Oh, I love this. You're a hairdresser. Yeah. So you do your own hair. Yep, mum and I do each other's hair for. Then you'd be pretty good at makeup as well, I bet. I'm very lucky that mum always did my makeup growing up. Yep. But then it kind of got to the stage, you know when like you're a teenager and they start doing their own things. Like first it was the mascara, then it was, no, I'm gonna do the lips. Then it was no, it just gradually got more. Leave me to it. Yeah, she goes, you know what, just just do your own makeup. Yeah, take me away from Sephora and Mecca. Oh, really? Do not need to buy any more glittery products. Oh my god. I should be banned. That's being performance wear. Right? You're like, I don't need this rot. Actually, I do. You have to buy performance wear for like four or five coats. Yeah. Shit. You should see my you should see I've just hung my uh like my letars and my performance wear and everything. You've got a whole wardrobe. Oh my god! Can you take a photo of it for us? Yeah, I'll show you. Yes, that would be amazing. Um last one. Are you ready for a a new goal this year? Would you like to be the glue bitch of 2026? Me? Yes. Are you serious? That's Champion Tan's new um stuck up, which is uh yeah, their body glue. So it's all for you, babes. Oh, thank you so much. You can blink perfect timing. Well, you can be the glue bitch at five different clubs. I might need to give you more. One for each code, thank you. I have to give you a bucket of stuck up, not a tube. You'll be like, so that's no, this is perfect. Thank you so much. So yeah, give it a go. Oh, thank you so much for joining me today. You've been so generous with your time and cheers! Cheers for girls. Oh, no worries. This episode was recorded on Dark and Jung Country. We pay respect to the traditional owners of the lands that we call home. We honour the Dark and Jung elders, past and present. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.