My oldest daughter is a competitive Irish Dancer and this week we are on the road again to the North American National of Irish Dancing. This will be held in Chicago from July 2 – 8, 2012. It is an annual event that brings together boys and girls from age 9 to adults competing to win a crown as the best Irish Dancer in North America in their age category.
As we prepare her beautiful dress, her shoes, accessories, wig (yes, all those long flowing curls are a wig), I ponder on what else we need. We did this last year and added a family vacation to Nashville, TN.
Some of the younger girls are going to their first competition and I thought I would share this of what the girls have to bring. It might be easier to keep track by creating an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of everything.
Dance Gear:
- Solo Dress and Sash
- Bloomers
- Crown
- Wig
- Earrings
- Make-up & tanner
- Crystal socks
- Hard Shoes
- Soft Shoes
- Items she needs for competition (tape, sock glue, bobby-pins)
Travel Gear:
- Homework
- iPod with Irish music to practice
- Books
- Camera
- Games
- Snacks
- Water
These are all items she needs to keep her entertain during the long train ride between Port Huron, MI and Chicago, IL.
Apparel:
- Outfit while at competition – Thursday, Friday, Saturday
- Outfit while having fun – Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
- Warm up and practice gear
- Bathing suit
- Outerwear
- Walking shoes, sun hat,
- Sunscreen
- Evening wear (for the formal dinner)
Using a customized list that your child/teen can check off, and you can double check before you leave, will help you save time and money. {No need to buy expensive replacement shoes because she left hers under the bed at home.}
Getting organized just means that you will be able to enjoy the time there because you are not sweating the small stuff!
Margarita Ibbott is a travel and lifestyle blogger. She blogs about travel in Canada, the United States and Europe giving practical advice through restaurant, hotel and attraction reviews. She writes for DownshiftingPRO.com and other online media outlets.
Hope you had a great time! My DD dances and it amazes me how much stuff we have to take for ballet and jazz. I couldn’t get by without my list.