It’s been about a week since we got back from our road trip to Highland dance national championships in Boston. I had fully intended to keep up with blog posts during our trip, but turns out I had my hands pretty full. I’ll be honest, with the exception of one post I started on the third day of our trip, I didn’t write a single word (or even open my laptop, for that matter!).

For those who aren’t familiar with our family, our kids are competitive Scottish Highland dancers. This past May, the eldest three qualified for national championships in Boston, Massachusetts. This is our sixth time going to nationals (the location changes every year), and we’ve been anticipating the trip for months with great excitement. 

Due to a few schedule changes, we narrowed down our travel plans to two options: 1.) One of us could fly up with the three oldest kids the day before they started competing, or, 2.) I could drive all seven kids up to Boston by myself the week before so they could have some in-person training before competing.

We chose the second option. Lest you think I’m insane, a big factor in this decision was that I’d been reading a book about a widow who sailed her five children up and down the Pacific Northwest coast all by herself after her husband passed away (in a sailing accident, of all things). Comparatively, this road trip seemed like a piece of cake!

After weeks of preparation (I’ve got packing and travel food prep posts in the blog pipeline, stay tuned!), I felt ready. Day one would be a 8.5-hour drive, followed by 7 more hours on day 2. We would stop in Philadelphia so the kids could have some pre-competition dance lessons with their dance teachers in real life (they usually take lessons via Zoom). Then, after a restful weekend, we would drive seven more hours to Boston for the long weekend of competitions. Peter would meet us in Boston just in time to watch the kids compete. Easy peasy!

On the other side of the trip, I can say that the drive up was much more challenging than I thought it would be, especially the second day on the road. I didn’t realize how exhausting driving can be! But the car did great, the weather was cooperative, the kids were immensely helpful and well-behaved, and I’m happy to report that we made it.

Not only did we make it there and back safely, but the kids danced beautifully at Nationals as well as several  other competitions over the weekend. The eldest three even placed top six in the country (Bradana fourth overall for age 14-15, Sunniva third for age 12-13, and Jude fifth for age 10-11 in his first Nationals ever!). Bringing home three sashes (the top six dancers in each group get a sash) was a big goal they had, and I’m so happy they achieved it. 

But by far the most rewarding aspect of the trip for the kids was getting to see their teachers and dance friends. They had 2+ hours of dance lessons with their teachers every night for the first week of our trip and were able to make some corrections that are hard to translate over Zoom. Perhaps most importantly, Bradana was able to practice for her first group choreography piece, a beautiful tribute to one of her dance teachers, in person. The group went on to place third overall in Boston after only practicing together a handful of times – a huge accomplishment! It was such a beautiful moment seeing it all come together. 

Nilsine and Gregan also greatly benefited from the in-person instruction. Nilsine pieced her fling together in a matter of nights and did a great job at the competition on Sunday, and Gregan made some great improvements in his dances as well – he even got a second place in his sword dance! All the kids had personal bests in their dancing, and I know that wouldn’t have happened without the in-person time with their teachers. And of course, the kids enjoyed hanging out with their dance school friends and swimming after dance class every night. We are so grateful for such a supportive, loving, and fun dance family!

At the competition in Boston, we saw friends from all around the country, including our kids’ beloved previous dance teacher from Texas and our dance friends from Texas and the East Coast. There were also a lot of dancers from Scotland who came over to compete, and the kids loved watching some of the best dancers in the world. It was a truly inspiring weekend!

Finally, it was so great to watch the kids support each other. Now that we have five kids dancing, they’re starting to coach each other, which is beautiful to see. They’re not always open to their siblings’ corrections (naturally!), but for the most part, they truly want to help each other be the best dancers they can be. Now that we’re home, they’ve been having daily practices together and can’t wait to get back to competing in a few months. 

Highland dance has been such a gift to our family, and it’s about so much more than dance. If not for the community, both at large and in our own little family unit, it would be just another extracurricular activity. We’re looking forward to seeing what the next year has in store for our little (and not so little) dancers, and we are so grateful to their teachers for dedicating so much time, love, and energy to teaching them this beautiful art.

Next up — Stone Mountain Highland Games in October!