Back at the baton . . .

First baton competition of 2018 in books.  It was a USTA comp, which are not our favorites.  There are no titles at most of the competitions, so you get one shot at most events, plus the show twirls (called Dance Twirls here) only use one baton, and the routine Gracie has been working on includes both a 2 and 3 baton portion, so we skipped entering.   But this competition was a short 45 minutes from our house, so we figured it was worth the chance to get on the floor and in front of judges before our big competitions in March and April. 

Gracie only had three competitors in her division.   Of her 5 events, two of them she was unopposed.  Naturally, she "won" those (you get an award, but they don't count towards advancement)  In the other 3 events, she scored all 2nd places.  She didn't lose to the same person every time, but naturally, it wasn't the outcome she was hoping for.  She was very close in two of the three, but it was definitely a case of the better girl won.   

Needless to say, Gracie was not a happy camper.   And let me tell you, nobody beats up Gracie quite like Gracie does.  Her events were wrapped up by 1 pm, so we decided to pack it in and not watch the end of the competition. I let her sulk (and text) quietly on the way home. 

I noticed today that the 2 small trophies and 3 medals she won yesterday were nowhere to be found. I suspect they are stashed in her closet somewhere.  She's clearly ready to move on. 

But there is a silver lining, her new costume, purchased second hand online and altered by my mom, looks FANTASTIC!