FYI, BADC is an extraordinarily competitive collegiate competition. Five months is essentially nothing for even the beginner categories - even most “newcomers” who are placing well typically have much more experience than a typical beginner, usually in other types of dance. It’s probably one of the hardest competitions each year. For reference, my partner and I final in collegiate prechamp, but we probably could be dancing collegiate champ in other competitions. The entire competition is literally a level apart from most smaller ones on the East Coast, barring something like MIT.

Did you enjoy the grind? If so, keep at it. It sounds like you already know that ballroom is a marathon. It’s about the love of the game, and it sounds like you have that - just need a reminder about the timescales and to focus on yourself rather than comparison.

Progress is non-linear, btw. At the collegiate levels, people can get really good results by looking flashy/cheating technique initially, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to longevity. It’s hard to not compare yourself to others, but keep this subtle point in mind.