During lunch yesterday, I was going through videos and pictures stored on my phone, deleting stuff I didn’t want or need to free up space. I came across a video of Teacher and me dancing a round of bronze smooth, and I realized that it was recorded just a couple weeks before we were supposed to leave for the United States Dance Championships, a.k.a. Nationals. A couple weeks before Teacher broke his wrist.
I’ll be honest, I got a little choked up. Even though I had already won at the bronze level at other local/regional competitions, Nationals, along with Best of the Best at Ohio Star Ball, were going to be the grand finale of my bronze era. But it never happened. Once Teacher was well enough to teach, he focused on building up my silver. There was no point continuing with bronze.
He was right, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel like I left that chapter unfinished. That’s how life goes sometimes though, isn’t it? Sometimes we just have to move on to the next chapter.
So, with encouragement from some Facebook friends and since it was “Throwback Thursday” and today is “Flashback Friday,” I decided to share this final bronze round with you. I’m not wearing makeup and my hair is just in a bun. We’re not dancing in fancy costumes and you’ll hear another coaching going on in the background. I’m not wearing my big competition smile. You can see the nervousness in my face over the comp that never came (or maybe that’s just me). It’s no grand finale. But it’ll have to do to close out the chapter.
It’s a good reminder that sometimes we don’t get the big sendoff or public celebration. Sometimes it’s just a quiet moment witnessed by few. I write a lot about how I need milestones and goals on this journey and “just dancing” isn’t enough. But sometimes that’s all you get. Just a few minutes of two people dancing together.
Without further ado:
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 
so lovely! Thank you for sharing!
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You are a beautiful dancer, Katie!! I know how you feel about having goals to strive towards and having an event to practice for. You achieve a sense of accomplishment for all your hard work that was done in the studio. I was actually preparing for a comp next month but alas, I had to back out because I just couldn’t swing it financially. I was floored and so very upset to all of a sudden have that goal and mindset taken away. I was so motivated to get to be the best at my current level. I was in a deep place for about a week or so but came to the realization that all my efforts wasn’t for nothing. I now have a plan in place to attend a comp later in the year! In the meantime, I will be doing little things in the studio to prepare for and small goals to reach along the way to keep me motivated. Once the comp is getting closer, it will be full steam ahead!!
Winning at the bronze level at Nationals and Ohio Star Ball is really quite an achievement and something to be VERY proud of!! It’s something that I hope one day will be true for me. You’re an inspiration to me and so many other dancers out there like us!!!!
Best,
Cindy
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Thank you so much Cindy! I never actually made it to Nationals or Ohio. Teacher broke his wrist a week before we were supposed to go to Nationals and then he had to have surgery, so I had to back out of both comps. You can get the whole story here: https://thegirlwiththetreetattoo.com/other-resources/#howtocopewithloss
You will probably be able to relate to a lot of what I went through, having your plans cancelled!
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I totally misread that part! So sorry about that Katie. Thank you for sharing your story.
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I’m so jealous of your dancing 🙂 But you’re very right about not always getting a grand finale. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that! As always, thanks for sharing!
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