Saturday, October 6, 2007

M's at a feis, or finishing up one

So I wait, and pray, as I have been most of the day that M does well today.  Well, really I pray that she feels good about how she does today.  (She's SO close to getting that next 1st place and moving into prelim. championships level.  I want her feeling confident.)  I've never not been to a feis when M's been in it.  Sometimes I've been to help out or watch friends when she hasn't been, ironically enough (on weekends she's been with her dad, C, and hence, until last year when Si started feising, M didn't feis if with her dad).

C and I switched weekends, and M and her half-sister, Si, are spending today dancing and feising in the city where C's oldest sister lives.  (That sister has been my favorite, even if I haven't seen her in, hmmm, a LONG time.)  Besides, he's out of town next weekend, and her being with me means she can do a few other things she'll enjoy.  Even if we're missing a great Octoberfest today we usually attend and she felt sad to miss; she's blessed to have options.  C wanted M this weekend for this feis, yet, I think it was just Sh, Si, and M traveling up there yesterday.  Just as well, as C seems to hate the feiseanna themselves, just isn't his thing.  He may have joined them later or today, I really don't know.

So, I wait to hear the scores, not sure if I'll "be allowed" to talk with M at all this weekend (even if we should be allowed open communication).  I'm hoping that someone posts them on the Irish dance message boards.  I think she's ready to redeem herself, after she and I (she says just I) screwed up her schedule for the last one we went to and she missed most of her dances.  I told her that she should go out there and show those Mid-America dancers / girls just how well she does it:)  She says she feels really good about one in a couple weeks.  She seemed happy Friday as she walked with her classmates for an advisor group game time and I dropped off her three bags of gear (one bag per dress, and a "stuff" bag), "That'd be helpful," M responded when I told her I'd also put in her dance shoes.

Some of her groups are split today, i.e., so many competitors in that particular level/age/dance, that it's split into an A and a B group (with winners for each).  Sometimes that's done by birthdate (and M's July bdate sometimes still has her in the older group), sometimes it's alphabetically or computer-generated random.  Sh didn't sign M up for treble reel, but she did sign M up for Prizewinner Light Jig, with only 1 other dancer.  I usually always did, also, until she got her first in Novice light jig, but mostly for more of a "practice" dance, warm her up.  Generally, dancers at the prizewinner level don't dance light jig competitively; it's not one of the "most get a first place in to move up" required dances.  That's fine, though, even with just M and one other competitor (which means a win wouldn't "count," anyway, as a minimum of 5 comeptitors is required).  Light jig was scheduled a bit after her reel, as reel is usually first, and M does a great reel, Daisy's Reel she and TCRG Ma created for M, so M hopefully felt good and ready to go after her reel and light jig, i.e., by her slip jig..........  Then it's on to hard shoes, with treble jig first (then hornpipe).  M somehow didn't practice slip jig at all in class this past week, but she said she did feel good about her treble jig.  Good. 

This feis also has a sibling dance, which I so enjoyed at Celtic Fling feis this summer.  It means that different siblings dance together in a figures dance, from a 2-hand (2-person), up to however many siblings.  (Some feiseanna hold family dances, or parent / child.)  Naturally, Si and M were scheduled for a 2-hand sibling dance.  It originally started just for fun, yet Si is capable of not only executing but memorizing rather complicated steps for a mere 5-year old, and it's really quite good.  They were also scheduled for either a U-13 or U-14 2-hand.

So I'm taking a break from visiting Dad and everything there, and visiting his home with the contractor, waiting for his one Rx to be refilled, and cuddles with Billy or Tinker(bell), and long walks with Daisy and Indie..... I'm so tired, I really could nap.  Yet, depending upon how this feis runs, it could be about done, or M's part done.  If so, and if C joined up which he may have, with his sister maybe also coming to watch and all, he's usually quite anxious to pack up and LEAVE.   (She wasn't registered for either traditional set nor treble reel which are usually at the end of a feis  -- the treble reel, however, being in the mid-america region, has a different unison step at the very end, which a dance.net friend showed M how to do at the recent mid-America feis, and M got 2nd place out of 32 dancers (41 registered)!!!

I did text M this morning (not even sure if her cell phone made it).  I am trying to be patient before calling her (her phone, then I'll try either Sh's or C's).  YAWN. 

I hope she's happy:)  I'm sure she's walking away with SOMETHING, just eager to share it with her.  I miss not being there.  It's okay, though; she knew I wouldn't be.  Still.  I wanna know; I wanna talk with her!  lol  (Besides, she may have found another "striking" solo dress she wants to tell me about.  She found one at the last feis that Ma says looks striking on M, and the current owners mother and I both agree.)  :)

And it's more fun than paying bills, Dads or mine.  Or laundry (his, mine, M's).  And worrying so as he's fighting some bug or something right now (he'll be alright just ugh).  Decisions, even about his house. 

UPDATE:  (Sunday)
 
I DID get to talk with M! which is great, even if she had a full audience there with her (C, Sh, and Si).  She didn't know I'd tried to call her, but she said she called to let me know how things had gone:)  I'm glad.
 
I had an update in here written last night in my yawning time.  Then I kept thinking about it, and wanted to re-write it earlier today.  Too busy a day.  Recently, I finally got to check the scores online, and M's not even listed for one dance, so something is way wrong there as in the judges scores didn't even get recorded for her (she could have even gotten first for all we know if the judges scores didn't come through).  Also, I know it's screwed up for one of her other dances (reel) I'm sure.  I can understand not doing well for wahtever reason, from not practicing enough, to different step expectations in a different region, to hunger or family whatever (not saying she was hungry or under any duress), but this is obviously incorrect......  So, full update will wait. 
 
I do know that M got a first in her PW light jig (as did Si. Si danced with 9 dancers total so hers counts to move her up to Prizewinner in her light jig; Si's goal was to earn Prizewinner so that she could earn the right to wear her solo dress!).  They got a first in their U13 2-hand (by a good margin of a score, too), and third in their same 2-hand in the entry for sibling dance.  M says that the boy and sister who won first in the 2-hand (by large margin!) were really good, and that he won firsts and is going to his Oireachtas (approximately U9).  So, for M, two firsts and a third are good:)
 
Sh didn't get M entered into M's treble jig, the dance she needed and had worked on this past week.  I don't get that (and M had an audience while talking to me, remember, so she couldn't say much about it yet I know she was really disappointed "what's the point," (M said) even if she thought overall the day was okay and somewhat fun, and I acted neutral yanno, had to, and am glad if she overall had fun). 
 
The other dance M needs, her slip jig, is the one she didn't have her scores recorded for, argh.  I wrote Sh recently to, basically, ask if she'd check into it or if she'd let me (as Sh registered M, or else of course I'd just do it).  This may require the feis committee to go back and examine the handwritten judges notes and pages, but, if the score didn't get recorded, it needs to be, so that it can be put in with the other scores and M can know how she placed.  Argh, but, we'll see!
 
In trying to call M Saturday afternoon, I also tried the hotel.  The hotel said that Sh had been the one registered (fine, whomever, Sh or C), but that they had checked out earlier that day / Saturday.  C never gave me address / # info for where they stayed Saturday night as court ordered (and I give the same to him, btw, and I believe I should).  M said they'd be staying at his oldest sister's, the one who lives in/near that city, but other than knowing her sufficiently to think she likely kept her maiden name, I don't even know her current last name nor her address/#.  Shaking my head!  I could point that out to him, but don't wish any conflict over finding out M's actual placement in the slip jig........  plus he hasn't paid for a summer camp for M he was to pay for.  As Doug said earlier today, "I don't need any more drama right now." 
 
M said that the feis was crowded, but the rooms were spread out well.  We talked of solo dresses we'd seen in the past (including one she considered at Celtic Fling Feis but passed on, now being worn by a dancer in her competitions).  C's sister / brother-in-law watched the girls dance their two figures dances in the a.m. (but that was all), and not sure when C joined.  I'm glad she worked some on her Monday project homework this past week, even missing Grey's Anatomy for it, and hopefully she's enjoying the weekend overall.
 
I'm still tired, trying not to feel wiped out, will go back to dad's momentarily (a lot of staying with him as I think he's sick, and will contact his doctor tomorrow/ Monday.  He'd been doing so great that his Rn, his occupational therapist, and his physical therapist all discharged him as not needing their care).  Ciao. 
 
"And, if you get a chance to sit it our or dance, I hope you dance.:)  "
 
UPDATE to the UPDATE (10/19/2007):   Yeah, I wrote updates twice, deleting the more upbeat one I'd written Saturday night (perhaps I should have but shrug, I did), and sorry to ahve this one (above) with such negative tones (which perhaps I should also delete, I don't know).  I was quite wiped, and I was worried about my father, and in attempting to sleep Saturday night, my excitment in "being allowed" to talk w/ M, altered into thinking through the nuances of what she was saying "between the lines" with an audience.  Then I couldn't find her scores online...... I DO think that M had fun at this feis, which is most important (she also ran into my friend, SO there and his youngest daughter who Irish stepdances).  I DO think she was quite disappointed not to be registered for her treble jig.  She said that most of the dancers were going on to another feis that next day which was within short distance.
 
Her slipjig score didn't even show, at all, for the feis tabulating website which was posting the results (sans comments).  It was a split competition, but neither A nor B group had her listed at ALL.  I figured out that's why she didn't see herself as placing.  I wrote Sh, asking "respectfully" if she'd check or if she'd allow me to.  It doesn't happen often, but I figured that the judges scoresheets being tabulated by the feis committee volunteers had over looked / skipped over M's score/any comments when they posted results.  (This is all done by hand, judges write on their scoresheets the competitor's #, then the score, then there's a space for comments but comments are optional.  Often quite useful, but optional.)  Sh never did respond to me.  She did, however, contact the committee, and after M's overnight with them a couple nights later, returned home with her new results page with her new score.
 
M got her first place in Prizewinner Slip Jig!  YEAH YEAH YEAH M :)   She doesn't know if she'll get sent her trophy or not (she should, but?).  She said she'd just use her first place award for Prizewinner light jig as her slip jig, if need be.  Now that M's score is included with the others in her competition, we can tell that she actually tied for first place.  (I would think that if it was not a tie, the previous first place winner would not have to relinquish her award, physical trophy or otherwise, at the later date, but I don't know.)  This means that not only does M have her first place in a soft shoe (reel), and a first place in a hard shoe (hornpipe), which qualified M previously for preliminary championship level, BUT, as TCRG Ma requires a first in all four ofthe main dances (so she only has treble jig left, and has gotten 2nds in that several times, and perhaps would have gotten first at this feis in treble jig, but, there are other feiseanna and Ma is just so happy and proud for M, life goes on.)
 
 
 

5 comments:

  1. It's rough not being there to see you child perform.  Hope she does well.  ~ Mike

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  2. I hate when I cannot get to watch my grandchildren dance like I used to be able.I bet it's fun chooseing outfits.I enjoyed a wonderful outdoor show of Irish dancers whilst I was in Vegas.They were fabulous.I hope Dad soon feels better too.Have yourself a nice feet up quiet night ,if you are so tired.Enjoy your Sunday too.I hope she does well in all of everything she enters,and you don't have to wait too long for news of the results.Take Care God Bless Kath
    astoriasand http://journalsa.olc.o.uk/astoriasand/MYSIMPLERHYMES

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  3. Sounds like a busy busy time........June:)

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  4. Congratulations to M for her fine showing at the feis.  Sorry that you were unable to see her dance; I can only imagine how hard it wa on you to not be there to see her perform. Get some rest and renew yourself.--Sheria

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  5. This comment is for everyone who reads Robin's journal.  I just wanted to post a message and let everyone know her dad passed away rather unexpectedly today (10/8).  Please keep her and her family in your prayers.  

    (((HUGS ROBIN)))


    Amy

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