Last dance competition of the season

At the beginning of the month, the girls participated in their last competition of the season.  Before I get to the details of that, let's talk about my solution for costume transportation and set up.  When you have multiple kids with multiple costumes, it can be a challenge to keep everything organized backstage, most especially at the dance recital.  Sometimes my kids only have 5 minutes in which to change costumes and with everyone running around, you have to make to sure someone doesn't accidentally pick up your costumes or accessories.  It's very easy for items to get misplaced.

You can read my post from two years ago on how I stayed organized during that recital HERE.  I changed it up a bit for last year and hung the costumes on a drying rack and brought along a laundry basket for costumes to be tossed into if there wasn't time to hang them up.  While I felt like we were mostly organized, the girls are older and want to have their own space, which I completely understand, and I felt like a freaking pack mule dragging stuff in to and out of not only the recital but the dress rehearsal the day before.

There's an easy solution to the costume madness (suitcase with a built-in garment rack marketed specifically to dancers) but I really didn't feel like paying $200+ times 3.  Back in the fall, knowing that the girls were going to need something for the recital and competitions, I began my search.  There had to be a comparable, less expensive option.

And there is!



These are technically duffel bags but they have a hard bottom.  As you can see, they can be pulled like suitcases - they have wheels.  There are also handles so you can simply carry it, which comes in handy on stairs.

Full disclosure: I'm linking to Amazon because it is an affiliate link.  The reviews there, however, really aren't that great, and if I had only read those reviews, I would have been hesitant to order.  Thankfully, I found a slew of excellent reviews from dance parents elsewhere and with a coupon, I was able to order these for about $85 each.

We've used these bags now for three competitions and the only negative comment I can come up with is that assembling the garment rack is a bit tricky.  Sometimes Emily can do it on her own but usually Emily and Allie start theirs and I need to finish.  But, whatever.  In the grand scheme of things, it really isn't that big of a deal.  There is more than enough room for all of their costumes, shoes and accessories and, the best part, I don't have to carry anything.



Okay, so let's get to the competition.  This was a quick one with their two dances almost back-to-back and not a long wait for the awards ceremony.  I was afraid I was going to have to redo (in one minute) all three ponytails because that snowman hat has two clips under it and it's almost impossible for me to remove it without pulling up a clump of hair.  I managed to get two out without messing up their hair and only had one redo.

Their Jingle Bells dance not only scored first place in their category but they also received a trophy for the highest score of all the large group entries.  Woo hoo!  I can't remember what happened with the big candy dance.  I think they received a high gold.

The first competition of the season was just a local one but for these last two, the teams earned entries to Nationals competitions over the summer.  Sadly, our dance studio has decided to not participate in either Nationals.  The girls are super bummed with that decision.



I know I brag about my kids but I am really proud of them for their effort and attitude.  Competitive dance is expensive and time consuming and if they were going to half-ass it, they wouldn't be doing it.  Also, as part of a team, it's not fair to other team members to not put in your best effort.  The girls are learning a lot through this and having fun along the way.

I grew up in the generation of Only Winners Receive Trophies and parenting children nowadays is so very different.  As a child, I sat through Little League banquets and watched top teams and MVPs walk away with trophies while I left empty handed.  And that was fine.  I was taught that if my team didn't win, we wouldn't get a trophy.  And there were some years when we did earn trophies.  Life moves on. End of story.

Here in our town now, all kids who try out for travel (competitive) soccer are placed on a team.  They create as many teams as needed to accommodate all of the kids.  It used to not be this way.  If you didn't make a travel team, you played for the town's recreational soccer program.  This changed after parents began complaining that their kids weren't placed on a travel team.  Also, all of the baseball/softball teams make it into the playoffs.  I've noticed at these dance competitions that no entries have received bronze ratings even though bronze is listed as a potential category.    

I'm a realist and I want to prepare my kids for the real world.  You know what?  You get to high school or college and try out for a team and there's a chance you may not make it.  You're not going to get every job you interview for.  You're not going to get every part you audition for.  Every kid should be able to participate - I completely agree with that - but not every kid/team is going to be the BEST at everything all the time.

     

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