Adults vs. & Overs: an op-ed on the various pros and cons

This was the first week this term that I missed class. I will let you guys be my judges - I had to skip cause the house we are in the process of buying was being inspected and we kind of needed to be there for it. Valid excuse?

So, to give you an equal break from my class updates, of which I have none, and I am sure you were sick of them anyway, I decided to write about something else this week. After a conversation with one of my besties (who also happens to dance), I was inspired to do this little opinion piece of the various pros and cons of both Adults and &Overs.

For the sake of clarity, I am referring both to the obvious (competitions) but also to classes. I've danced both with the littles and other adults, and while by no means consider myself expert on the subject, I at least have a little knowledge I can share with you, rather then waxing philosophic for another week about my struggling through class. PLEASE, keep in mind these are all just from my personal experience and do not represent all, or even MOST dance classes. All schools and classes are unique

Without further ado:

• Conversation/personal interactions during class/competitions
• "Adults" Pro: 
• peer group
• easier to talk to 
• more shared interests and life experience
•  ability to swear without feeling bad
• "Adults" con; 
• sometimes you end up shooting the shit more and dancing less
• "&Overs" Pro: 
• get to form relationships with youngers, 
• maybe provide a good influence
• show them it's never to late to go after dreams
• "&Overs" con: 
• You have to listen to conversations about Disney Chanel, homework and such statements as "my life is OVER (insert tweeny drama here)" and NOT laugh at how trivial it sounds compared to grown up problems
• kids might look at you like you are weird
• "Aren't you too old for this class" (see some of my previous experiences)
• Practice/Drill time/Class time
• "Adults" Pro: 
• People mainly learning at the same pace as you, 
• people able to focus as long as you, 
• needing the same amount of water breaks as you
• people who understand the aches and pains of being an older dancer
• classes tend to be little less structured, a lot more independent practice and personal input into what you want to work on (this also depends on class size) 
• "Adults" con; 
• If one person needs to sit down for a minute it's tempting for everyone to sit down for a minute (see above, both about being able to converse, and about spending too much time talking lol!)
• "&Overs" Pro: 
• CHALLENGE! 
• Keep up with the kids half your age
• high energy class 
• more strident drilling
•  more repetition of steps (kids with short attention spans need to have the 'learning' part of their steps repeated), 
• usually very structured classes
• "&Overs" con: 
• more repetition of steps (kids with short attention spans need to have the 'learning' part of their steps repeated) - it's both a blessing and a curse. 
• Kids can sometimes just do more then you can, 
• everyone looks at you weird when your trick ankle flares up and you are limping across the room
• Feiseanna
• "Adults" Pro: 
• camaraderie 
• sense of team work 
• get to know everyone in your competition really well 
• less stress/pressure 
• competing against people with similar ages and strength/weakness brackets 
• focus more on competing against your previous best, rather then against the other dancers
• don't have to worry about the blingy outfits and wigs 
• "Adults" con: 
• Smaller competition sizes (depending on region/feis/phase of the moon - some regions have more in adults then in the highest age &overs), 
• Restrictions; must wear tights, can't dance non-trad speeds, can't wear blingy stuff if you want to
• adult catagories at competitions are usually very small, if they exist at all  
• will have to drop down to &overs if you want to go further then prizewinner
• "&Over" pros:
• Bigger competitions (usually)
• varied competition
• If you can beat someone half your age, you know you've earned it
• Can wear the fun dresses - or not. Same for tights (TC usually does have opinions that need to be taken into a consideration no matter where you go though) *Bonus; If you wear a wig, guarantee it will take between 4-10 years off of you!*
• Can keep rising through levels without having to change catagories and re-acclimate yourself to a new competition "set"
• "&Overs Cons:" 
• You are literally competing against 15-20 people who are half your age - ARE YOU CRAZY?
• Younger, sprier bodies mean high jumps, bouncer steps and better stamina with less effort
• More competitors means harder competition
• less people to "hang out" with - you aren't part of the "adults" club to hang out with them between dances, but you are to old to hang out with the teens you dance against.

So .. . there it is. Again, these are just my observations, and there are a lot of variables that need to be taken into consideration. Some teachers are adamant about not wanting the adults to dance with the kids, some prefer it. Some regions have a SUPER active Adults category, while other have none. Some kids classes are super laid back, some adults classes are super competitive. There are no right or wrong answers here. If you are an adult considering a class, take EVERYTHING into consideration and decide what feels right for you. Like I said, I've done both. I've loved doing both. What's right for me now is slogging alongside the kiddos - doesn't mean that down the road kicking butt with fellow adults isn't in the cards for me.

There is only ONE thing for certain - if you are considering taking a class or competing as an Adult, not only CAN YOU . . .but you have OPTIONS. So do it!!!

I Have Kidnapped myself; Unless you pay me a ransom in Red Bulls and a new wig you will never see me again.

OK – this one is going to be a big one!

Let me start this post of with some apologies; I am sorry I have been an absentee writer Since October –  what the feck is up with that, right? I’ll be lucky if any of you stuck around from that communications black out.

In a feeble attempt to justify myself, let me sum up the last 3 months:

• Broke Toe
• Finished planning a wedding , including dance classes of a non Irish variety
• Got Married (it was gorgeous and tons of fun in case anyone was wondering! No, we didn’t have any Irish Dance as I was the only dancer present and I was wearing a million pounds of Taffeta.We compensated by having DJ Ipod Shuffle play a selection of Dropkick Murphys, Pogues and Great Big Sea)
• Spent a week recovering from the wedding
• Spent the entire month of November at work, at work, trying to catch up from my week off
• Long weekend trip out of state for Thanksgiving
• Family in town for Saint Nicholas’s Day
• More Work Drama
• Baking a bajillion Christmas Cookies
• Family in town for Christmas

Which brings us to date. So, dear readers, please don’t think that you aren’t priority to me – you just aren’t priority that show up at my door demanding attention and baked goods!

But now that we have the random life updates done, on with the DANCE updates:

• Halloween Feis:  Ended up not going. See aforementioned broken toe. Of all derpitude, I didn’t break it while dancing. I broke it walking into my kitchen and slamming my foot against a chair leg. But, for the sake of my pride, can we say I broke it doing some kind of crazy awesome dance move? Yeah, let’s go with that. Anyway, it was almost healed up in time for the Feis (read; at least the swelling had gone down) but it was still pretty sore and hard to dance on. Between that, feeling the $ pinch from all those final wedding payments and only 2 people registered for the one dance I still need to place out of in AB2, I called it. Just wasn’t worth it. Not even for the promise of IKEA meatballs afterwards.
• Class in general; Have pretty much entirely transitioned to Monday night classes. This is a multi-purpose boon. First, I get to leave work 30 minutes early to get there. Second, It is only a 15 minute drive as apposed to 45 minutes. Third, it doesn’t waste a large chunk of my Saturday that I could be spending with my husband (Call me weird, but I kind of like him). Fourth, a certain child who shall continue to remain nameless and non-descript doesn’t come to this class. Yah for not having my self esteem shot to hell with one critical glance of a nine year old!
• Previous Dance Goals: I am now split between three levels. While this irritates me greatly, and makes stage assignments a bitch to navigate, I am still not going to complain. There was a time in my life when I thought I was never going to see Novice, none the less actually make it to Prizewinner in one dance (although I am still convinced that must have been some kind of fluke). I haven’t made any further progress on placing my Slip Jig or my SPD. Between holidays, and me having family commitments, I haven’t had much class time. I have started learning some of my Novice steps though, so I won’t feel like a complete spaz case still doing the easy steps all the time
• Future Dance goals: Register for North Coast and Possibly West Virginia.  Focus on SJ and SPD to finally kick Advanced Beginner’s ass to the curb. Finish learning other Novice steps so I can start placing them as well. Start getting comfortable with new Hornpipe speed and finish learning other novice steps so I can eventually start actually competing in Prizewinner because . . . .
• Maybe I should have mentioned this first and foremost; I BOUGHT A SOLO DRESS!!!! *aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh*. Ok, so long story short, I happened to find a listing for a used dress that was in my price range (rare), actually a style/colour that I don’t hate (uncommon) and it was my EXACT measurements (a miraculous aligning of the moon). After confirming with my TC if it would be ok for me to go ahead and make a pre-emptive dress purchase, I went for it. It arrived in the mail a few days before the wedding. Best. Wedding. Present. EVER.  Obviously, I can only wear it for my one prizewinner dance (which I am not going to be competing in for a while), but there is something very surreal about actually owning a dress. Again . . . things I thought would never happen. It’s not my “dream” solo dress, but it’s my first, and that is amazing. 
• Final thoughts: (a la Jerry Springer, but with out hitting people with chairs) Despite all the great
  things that have happened over the past 3 months, it’s been a struggle. I’ve been having a hard time really pushing myself to make it to classes. I guess it’s winter hibernation mode or something, but I want to just go home shove an obscene amount of carbs into my pie-hole and snuggle with the husband. Energy has been nil. I’ve been fighting a lot of the “I suck at everything’ thoughts. And it’s true, I am still fairly sucky at Dance. I am not naturally gifted or talented for it. But if you can win Championships on desire, determination and sheer stupid stubbornness, I will someday bring home a big trophy – might not be til I am 90 years old, but hot damn I will chug my Metamucil, strap on my heavies and kick some butt. 

Slainte, team!


PS. I want a “old person” ID bumper sticker. Has any one found one in existence, or should I just trot out my poor to craptastic graphic design skills and just make my own?

Once more, with feeling . . . .

So today was day 2 of the double header weekend of Feis-doom.

Having done this exact same weekend last year, I am starting to notice a trend. I always do better on day 1 while expecting to do not so well, then expect better from myself on day 2 and fall just a teensy bit short.

That being said, I am pleased with today's results, even though I still wish they could have been better.

I didn't place at all on my slip jig, so it, along with Saint Patrick's day are the last 2 things I have left in Advanced Beginner. I am still waiting to see judges comments to find out how far I was from placing. I will be honest - I am kind of disappointed. I thought I danced pretty well in this today. Toes were pointed, kicks were high, legs were straight. The only thing I can think of was that I didn't have a lot of "bounce" today. Venue didn't allow outside food or drink, and while I accidentally smuggled in my can of red bull (I didn't have room in my regular dance bag, so I had shoved it in my dress bag, which they didn't search) I didn't want to run the risk of getting kicked out of venue/disqualified for disregarding that particular rule. Asking me to be bouncy with out giving me the requisite 80mg of caffeine doesn't seem like a good idea. So, I guess I will really, reaaaally need to focus on Slip Jig over summer session at class and hopefully place out at my one summer feis.

Also did not place in my novice Light Jig. I think this had very little to do with my execution, and mostly to do with the fact that the competition was fairly large and the other dancers executed their slightly more novice-level dances just as well. Not too sad about that. I mean, While it would be a real feather in the cap to place out of 2 of my novice dances without learning a single novice step, I have no delusions of grandeur.

So, the hornpipe that got me FIRST yesterday got me a fifth today. Again, not actually too disappointed by this. The fact that I tied for fifth with 2 other girls out of a total of 20 competitors is still nothing to scoff at. If I had never gotten that first yesterday, I would be blown away by a fifth, so I chose to be still happy with this score. I mean, let's be realistic. I was up against twice as many dancers and I still got a medal. I still scored better then 14 other dancers. That thought just blows me away.

However, The highlight of the day was my Treble Jig. Twice in one weekend I have the jaw-dropping, heart racing, mind numbing, unbelievable experience of seeing my competitor number written up in First place. I was convinced I wasn't going to get much in it. I had the unpleasant experience of finishing my Slip Jig and having to literally RUN all the way back to my camp in the nose-bleed section of the stadium seating to grab my hard shoes and be back in time for Treble Jig. I had banked on there being 3 competitions between my SJ and my TJ. But one of the competitions had 0 competetors, and the others only had 2 or 3, so really, I had NO time. So, I was already a little breathless but I danced as best as I could. Timing felt a little off, but I managed to keep with it and. . . . well, I guess I did better then I thought.

This weekend was the boost I needed. Spring has been rough and I have once again gone through the agonizing thought that maybe I should just give up. I will probably always have those doubts, that stupid inner voice telling me to quit. But my hardware tells me otherwise . ..

 

Every award is a pat on the back. Every award is encouragement. Every award is at least one impartial voice saying "YOU DON'T SUCK!". And everyone I get makes me want more. So, I will get more, come hell or high water. 

But for now, I am going to sit back, watch a Rocky marathon with my ever patient and loving fiance, while cuddling my medals and eating ice cream.

Good night all, happy memorial day and happy feising!

Weekend:

Day 1: 4th AB Slip Jig, 3rd AB Treble Jig, 1st Novice Hornpipe

Day 2: 5th Novice Hornpipe, 1st AB Treble Jig

I'd like to thank purple lace, Red Bull and Saint Bridget

Feis today; What a roller coaster it was - assumed scene of "meh" turned into strange triumph.

It started as most feis days start for me. No desire to crawl from bed and an impending sense of doom. I had stayed up to late packing. I had orginally planned to do it as soon as I got home from work, but I got a last minute bug up my butt to go over to my best friend's house and rummage through her sewing shop and see if I couldn't due anything to make my Jumper-of-Frumper a little less. ..  well, frumpy. It worked. She had a miraculously perfect bundle of purple lace trim to add to the hem of my dress and it really makes the whole thing look much more polished than it had been. I think if it hadn't been for that shot of confidenc, I might never have crawled out from under my blankies.

Did my usual 'dawdle to long around the house and leave the house fifteen minutes late' routine. Luckily, traffic was nil and my minorly lead lined foot has not left me. Got there right on time and fought for a camping spot. Besides the fact that the place was already pretty darned packed, it's not easy being  a single camper at a feis. You'd think it would be. You take up so much less space than a large family/group. But seriously, the large groups will judge nudge and push you out of the way to make room. Word of advice to those that don't already do this; if you see a solo camper, ask if they would like to set up with you, rather then just build up around them making it complicated for them to climb over your stuff and awkward for them while they are trying to sit there, minding their own business and you are literally talking over them. Might just make their year!

Anyhoo. ..  got geared up. Makeup. Hair. Wig actually cooperated with the new hair cut, but it took a bit more 'doing' than it used to. Dress on - incidentally, may I just say, my jumper and shirt combo may look frumpy teetering on the verge of derpy, but I love how easy and comfortable it is to put on/wear. Completely changed from warm ups to competition wear without a single sight to scar young children. Also, as a side note . . . new adult irish dance wins . . .

Also, this way, no one needs to see my thunder-thighs. . . .

 

Anyhoosen-whatsit. . . .

Changed, ready to go, have guzzled a 12oz can of Red Bull and I'm ready to go (read; jittery). Go down to my stage, and realize that while there is only a handful of dances before my first, there is a METRIC BUTT-TON OF DANCERS, so I decide to wander around. Look at the T-shirts. Same dreck as last year. Look at the shoes and wigs I have no intention of buying, and then hit the jewelry stand. I always look. I have been getting by with a borrowed brooch and a safety pin to attach my cape, and I am thinking to myself, maybe if I do well today, I will finally buy a set of actual cape pins and then, along with my newly lace-trimmed dress, I will feel SUPER spiffy. I had never bought any of the brooches, cause, well, none of them seemed to say "buy me". They were all nice, but I didn't love them enough to say "Shut up and take my money". But today . . . I found the brooches I was meant to have. . . .

Let me rewind here, and give you a brief narrative on events in my NON-Irish-Dance life (amazingly enough, yes, I have one). I recently had the great honour and joy of being baptized into the Eastern Orthodox church. I took Bridget as my Saint's name and as my patron Saint - I was thrilled to discover that she is venerated as a Saint by both Catholic and Orthodox churches, so I was actually able to have her as my patron.  When my priest asked me who I wanted as my Saint, she seemed the obvious choice for me - I have always been fascinated by her both historically, culturally and spiritually.

So, when I got to the jewelry vendor today, I saw these pins and I knew I had to have them, and I had to have them before I danced. They were Saint Bridget's Crosses in a circle of knot-work. That visual reminder of my Saint, and the idea that she was with me suddenly cast a whole new light on the day. I bought them immedietly and scrambled to get my cape re-pinned before it was my group's turn to dance. (Also, again, if you don't already; you see a lone dancer struggling with zippers and trying to pin their own cape to the dress they are already in, offer to help. Just don't sit there and tease your daughter's pouf when it's already teased within an inch of it's life and you just established 2 seconds previously that she doesn't dance til after lunch. I swear, you will be thanked profusely and given all kinds of compliments and praise. ) 

So with the love of my friend stitched onto my dress with lace, and the emblem of my Saint pinned to my shoulder and side, I danced. 

And between that, some stubborn determination, and enough caffine to make small animals go into cardiac arrest, I actually danced pretty well.

I only ended up making it to three of my competitions (stage conflicts that I just didn't feel like trying to sort out), but I placed in all of them. 

I placed fourth of five in my Slip Jig. Respectable. Still get a nice ribbon 'placement'. Still a thrill to see my number on the board. But still doesn't get my slip jig out of Advance Beginner. (But there is always tomorrow)

In my Advanced Beginner Treble Jig, I got 3 out of 5. Certainly an achievement to be proud of, and that means that I am offically placed out of AB in my Treble Jig (but I have no intentions of moving up to novice in it until the new year)

But here is the ultimate highlight of my day. I was registered for Novice Reel, Light Jig and Hornpipe. Hornpipe was the only one I made it to the stage on time for. There were ten girls total dancing. Most of them looked like they belonged on the cover of IDM - new shiny wigs, expensive, blinged solo dresses and all kinds of fancy steps that I can't do. I was pleased with the way I danced but I accepted the fact that there was no possible way I was going to really place up against these girls. Maybe, MAAAAYBE get a fourth, or even a third - I did get a fourth and a third in 2 novice dances back in February, but the competition was much smaller, like 4 girls.

I got first. 

I still . . . I don't really believe it. Me. I got first. This was my first "real" first so that was thrilling in and of itself, but . . . I got a first in NOVICE, while still doing AB steps, competing against 8 or 9 other girls. Me. Old, overweight, tights-wearing, home-made-jumper-wearing, second-hand-wig donning, old-fashione-pin-wearing ME. In a dance that I used to HATE cause it was so hard. I didn't believe it when I saw my number. I didn't believe it when they gave me my medals. I didn't believe it when I went out to dinner with friends to celebrate. As I sit here now, I still don't 100% believe it!

But there it is. My medal is sitting right next to me. They wouldn't have given it to me if it wasn't mine. 

I just hope I can do half so well tomorrow. . . . .

And now . .. we nap!

Adventures in being my own Feis Mom, Part 2

Day 2

Because of the super long nap I took after the feis on Saturday, I couldn't sleep so I was up til about 2, and had to be up for 6:30. 6:30 ended up being 6:50, but because all my stuff was still packed from the day before, I was able to get out the door, and to the venue for 7:30. What can I say, there was no traffic on route 90. I got to the venue, parked, grabbed my stuff and went to find the Reg table. I guess I must have looked exhausted, cause the lady at the table checking me in, asked if I had been out late the night before. I just explained I was still beat from the feis the day before, and she nodded - I am still not sure if she thought I was picking up the card for my kid or myself, but I guess she figured it out, cause then she asked if I danced in the Adults catagory. Nope, &Overs, I say. I won't say her face got sour, but it certainly looked the smallest bit taken aback. I have to keep up with the kids, I am one of the brave ones, haha. She doesn't look convinced, so I take my dancer's card and walk away. Which brings me to "Being your own Feis Mom tip 4";  Don't assume everyone is being critical of you, but don't be surprised that it happens.

Dancing in the Adult category, you are just kind of viewed as a pet anomaly by large parts of the ID society. Like, 'aww, you want to take up dancing so you can hang out with your kid.' No one expects much, and because it is it's own under-represented category, most just tend to ignore them. But an adult dancing with the kids always shakes people up. A lot won't like it. I've yet to face head on hostility about it, but I know the day will come. Until then, I am just going to smile and nod when the check in lady is at a loss for words that I would dare to compete with the 13 year olds.

Any rate, I find a seat - which wasn't hard at all as there was stadium seating - and once again, I go about setting up my lonely camp spot. I will admit, it's tough not having ANYONE to hang out with at a feis. No parents or friends to help you get ready, or take your mind of nerves. I mean, I see all the kids from my class running around, all excited cause this is their first or second feis and their parents are trying to wrangle them where they need to go. But my wig makes me look really different, so most of the little ones looked right at me and never realized that I go to class with them. Besides, they've got parents, siblings and grandparents to keep them company - they don't want to hang out with the creepy grown up that is in their class. But I am digressing.

I wig up and slather on some makeup whilst the are having Mass. It's been years since I've been to a Catholic mass, so I have to admit, I was curious. I just sat quietly in my seat while the rest of the freaking arena participated, and once again I felt very much like the odd man out - a would-be Russian Orthodox convert sitting in a crowd of Catholics, a 26 year old woman dancing with 13 year olds. Just can't catch a break for fitting in, but then, trying to fit in would mean compromising what I WANT to be, and that shit's only for self-conscious teenagers.

Anyhoo, get wig on, realize I have little time till dancing starts, and I am up right away, and I also realize that I am STARVING. Run to the concession stand, buy a hot dog, get hit on by the guys working the concession stand, scarf down the hot dog, and then run to my stage and wait for the dancing to start. While finishing getting my shoes on and what not, I hear a mother bollicking her child for forgetting bobby pins - actually, that makes it sound too tough. I hear a mother telling her child that "No, WE didn't forget bobby pins, YOU forgot bobby pins. You have to learn to take consequences when you forget your responsibilities." Had to make me laugh a bit. Teenagers. I offer them my tray of bobby pins, but the mother kindly refuses. She said that no, her daughters will have to find some/borrow some from their friends - they have to learn to deal with problems without some one always taking care of stuff for them. I was amused. Good parenting in action, and also, a brief light into the fact that not all Feis Mom's act as a pack-mule Jeeves to their dancing Woosters and will take care of everything for their teenaged dancers.

This feis, very unkindly in my opinion, decided to smash all my dances right in a row, back to back of each other. The good side is that you get done quickly. The down side is that you have no time to change gears and maybe go over the step once in you head before you go up. But, like I said in the last post, either you know it or you don't. Dances went Reel, Light Jig, Slip and treble Jig (which I sat out again) and then hornpipe. I don't know why, but I never pay much attention to how I do my reel, so I can't say if I was pleased with how I danced or not, but I did the step, no mistakes, so I have that. Light jig, I was trying harder, had big plans, but then the girl that I was sharing the stage with would not GET OUT OF MY WAY. I couldn't go behind her because when I tried shifting behind her on my side-step, she would drift backwards. When I tried going in front of her, she drifted forward. I don't think she was doing it deliberately, but damn! I am not unaccustomed to having to dance around other people, I do have small children that often times get in my way in class, but this girl was like a boulder that I couldn't get around.

Anyway, un-checked in with the stage monitor, telling her I wasn't planning on dancing the next two. Ran up, took my time changing shoes, slugged back some water and went back to wait for hornpipe, while everyone else was finishing up the Treble Jig. I had a very nice feis volunteer tell me that if I wanted to, they would totally still let me go up for Treble Jig. That was mad nice of him, but I wanted to focus on what I knew, not stress myself about a step I only half have. So, we all line up for hornpipe, I am in the last set of 2 dancers and I am feeling MAD confident. I start on time, I start strong. My bangs are loud, I am in time to the music and I have the judge's attention (Incidentally, it was the same judge who placed my hornpipe second the day before) First step right foot - perfect. Left foot - loud and clear. Second step right foot, sounds great! Second step left foot . . . . wait . . . where did it go? No literally - I had it a second ago. Don't know why, don't know how, but suddenly I was doing part of my first step from my old school. A step I never fully got good at and that I haven't danced in almost 2 years now. Knowing that I had to get back into my step but not sure how exactly to transition, I almost stalled out. I was just running out of ideas when we hit the part of the music that I knew meant leap 2-3's in my actual step, so I finished the dance right. Not well, cause the entire time I was mentally freaking out and trying to remember if that WAS the right ending. But it ended I bowed and voila, dancing day 2 is done. Go back to my space, shimmy out of dress and back into warm-ups. Swing by results, nothing is up yet. Buy ANOTHER overpriced tee-shirt and spend a while looking at the jewelry. Back to the results board, which now has my dance's up.

Nothing on light jig or hornpipe - no surprises there. But another second for my Reel! Very pleased with that actually. If I am being honest with myself - I kind of phoned this feis in. I am still getting my feet wet again with this competition thing. Somedays I am great at my dances, other days, I forget them. I drill as much as I can over the week, but that often isn't much. The fact that I placed at all in any of my dances thrilled me. It means, I CAN hold my own against the kids. It encouraged me to put more energy and work into practicing - if I can get results with little effort, what results would I get if I tried harder. I could try and be dissappointed that I didn't get any firsts, or didn't place in all my dances. But that would be selfish and unrealistic of me. I still placed. It was still MY number written up on that board. It was still my old self beating out 7 other girls, all younger and more fit then me. In general - it has been the confidence boost I have been looking for.

It was also kind of sad that I had no one there with me to share the excitement. I don't mean to keep whinging on about it - but being alone at a feis sucks in alot of ways. But knowing that I had a boyfriend waiting at home who would be more then excited for my small victory, I decided to leave, even though the day had barely started. Because:

No kids or sibling to wait for. There are up sides to the lonely aspect of feising alone. I was home by 11am, out to lunch with friends by 1pm and home napping by 3, while the feis didn't even end until 5. And let me tell you I was never more happy to wash my hair. Because just remember, that after 2 feiseanna, this . . .

Is just a clever disguise for THIS . . ..

So that was my double header feis weekend of doom, in a very long, multi-post nutshell. Results were as follows:

Day one: 2nd in Reel and Hornpipe, 5th in Light Jig
Day two: 2nd in Reel

Judges comments from day one were all "heels in" and "on toes more", so y'know, stuff I already knew but never really work on. Must do better with that. My school is heading into summer break, so while I might not be able to practice my steps fully, I CAN and WILL work on my turn out and dancing on my toes.

Happy Memorial Day all, I am going to go finish recovering.