Since Oireachtas season is starting up and Iâve seen some people on here worrying about recalls and placements, I thought I would share a story that will hopefully help. I started dancing solos at the Oireachtas when I was in u9. I was new to Prelims, very timid and still didnât know much about performing on a big stage, so it wasnât that surprising when I didnât recall that year or the next year. I was pretty young and was just starting to realize that I had to work hard for what I wanted, even if I didnât quite know what real hard work was yet. When I was in u11, I practiced more and was a little more confident, and I recalled. I was happy, but I had placed in the 50s, one of the last places, and I hoped to do better the next year. By u12, I was placing well in Prelims and really hoped to be one of the NANs qualifiers at the Oireachtas that year. I wasnât even close to recalling. I was completely crushed, but I was also furious. Furious at myself for not practicing enough, not performing well, not being confident. Iâm glad I was mad, though, because if I wasnât, I wouldâve just moped around and done nothing. I started practicing my new steps the day I got home from the Oireachtas, vowing to never let myself experience the same humiliation. By Oireachtas time the next year, I had gotten all of my firsts in Prelims and placed in my first Open feis. I was much more confident, and I had never worked so hard for something in my whole life. I was extremely nervous that there would be a repeat of last year, but I was also much more confident in my dancing, knowing that I worked hard. Itâs all a blur now, but I remember thinking that I had danced my best at the Oireachtas, and I was relieved to get a recall. Going into awards, I didnât really know what to expect, but I remember thinking that it would be just awesome if I could be in the top 30 like most of the girls in my Open competition. You could imagine my surprise when my number was called as a World Qualifier. I donât think Iâd ever cried so hard in my life. Bottom line, it doesnât matter what happened last year and it doesnât matter where you are now. It wasnât likely that I would go from not recalling to qualifying for Worlds, but it happened. Whatever you want for this Oireachtas, you have 3 months to work for it. I learned the hard way that you can either walk off the stage wishing you had done more, or you can be the one crying at awards because your hard work finally paid off. You choose.