ConFEISsions–Diary of a Feis Mom–Part 3
The Unsinkable Maya Rose
If you were following on Facebook, you know what happened at nationals. I did not disappear in the middle of my conFEISsions because Maya did not place. My computer melted down and is now back!
But yea, Maya did not make the final cut after two rounds of fierce dancing. In Irish-dance-competition language, Maya did not recall and therefore, did not place. We found out after the marks were handed out that she only missed a spot in the recall by four places. She got very close and came in ahead of almost half of the competitors.
It started as a magical day. There was no FEISitude (my word for a snappy attitude on a feis day)! We got the wig and make up on without any tension, but that all changed once we got into the competition room. Maya was distracted by friends and other dancers practicing and did not want to take care of the routine preparations like glueing her socks to her legs. Yes, if you do not glue the socks on, they don’t stay up and look very sloppy.
There is a lot of waiting around at these bigger competitions but we settled in and got ready to find out what order the girls danced in. Maya danced at about the middle of the rotation and she really did great. These were all podium-winner dancers from all over North American and a couple from Britain and Ireland. The judges would be hard pressed to find mistakes so the judging must have come down to very fine details. Tough, tough competition.
We (Me, Maya, her teachers and friends) were shocked that she did not recall. She had danced so well. Maya was so gracious. I learned from watching her. She held it together until we were out of the huge ballroom and in a private corner near an exit. She had a good sob and I just broke up inside, only letting a little mist cloud my eyes. I wish I could answer her pleas to understand why she didn’t make the cut.
Sixty dollars and a Nationals souvenir hoodie/consolation prize later, we got on our way to have a swim and relax before heading back for the awards ceremony. Maya was completely supportive of all her friends who had placed in their own competitions. One of them qualified for Worlds. Understandably, she did not want to stay to see the awards for her competition.
The capper to a disappointing day was that I moved out us out of the luxury Swan and Dolphin hotel to Disney’s Pop Century to be on the meal plan and do all things Disney. It was a major bummer to move from an imitation of the ‘heavenly bed’ to a motel-like one. To make matters worse, Disney must be cutting back because our bedspreads, blankets, sheets and towels looked like they had been through the ringer. Hairs and stains in the bed were where I drew the line. Maya was in a heap of tears which I knew were more about the whole day than the crappy room, but the disappointments had just grown to a head.
The next day, I politely requested all NEW blankets, sheets and bedspreads and no one blinked an eye. I know it was done because the old ones were in the hall when we got back.
A new day had also brought a new focus–FUN at Disney. Maya did not mention the competition again. She shook it off faster than I did, to tell the truth. A few more gray hairs for me and a growth experience for Maya. Sigh.
Tags: Disney, Facebook, Feis, Irish dance, National Irish Dance Competition 2010, Orlando, Pop Century
July 9th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Sounds like she was very very close – and considering it was her very first experience with the Nationals, I think she should be extremely proud of how she did. we all know she has the TALENT, it’s just a matter of knowing what the judges are looking for – and she’ll/you’ll figure that out for the next time.
Love ya, MIL
July 14th, 2010 at 10:01 am
Wow, was looking for something completely different and stumbled in here. We were at this competition as well, and my daughter also failed to recall (just barely) in this, her 4th NANs. Pretty torn up because she was top 25 last year, and this represented a significant drop. A few tears, and what appears to be a renewed sense of focus. As we look at it, there are about 10% of dancers in every group that always fight for the podium, another 10% that really have no business being at the competition at all, and a healthy 80% that due to biases, minutia, and just plain subjective margin of error that could place anywhere. My daughter has been lucky enough to place in the top 25-50% of her group 90% of the time, but there will always be disappointments just around the corner, and many of the best life lessons come from the disappointments. As it is, we have gotten to do some world travel, which is something the kids will remember as they march towards adulthood.
Good luck next year, and at Oireachtas.
July 15th, 2010 at 8:33 am
Thanks, Chet. I appreciate your insights (and statistics!)
It was our first nationals and our first big disappointment.
She bounced back so quickly, also with renewed focus.
Thanks for commenting and all eyes on the Oireachtas!