Advice for First Timers
Time-tested tips & tricks to prepare you for your first competition
9 Tips for First Time Competitions
If it’s your dancer’s first competition and you find yourself feeling nervous, we feel you! Here are a few time-tested tips and tricks to help you go in prepared so you can relax and enjoy more of the day.
01
Bring snacks.
Fruit, nuts, veggies, protein will give your dancer energy to make it through the day. Some venues will have food available but it leans toward pizza and nachos.
Gum, mints, twizzlers, and other non-chocolate candies are also very popular. Best hack ever? Use a tackle box type organizer and fill with a variety of treats.
Plan for sharing! #locusts #hangryhelpers
02
Plan for Lunch.
Lunch places near comp venues tend to get very busy. Consider pre-ordering subs (there’s an app for that!) or calling in your order well in advance.
We’re big believers in stocking a cooler with lunch essentials and teaming up with a few others to make the work and expense a little nicer.
We’re also going to throw in a quick please clean up after yourself – we put out extra trash cans just for you!
03
Bag your costumes.
Place all of the pieces and parts for each costume in a bag and label it. The dressing areas tend to be crazy, chaotic and a hot mess. Include your studio name and your cell phone number, so if your bag gets lost in the chaos the finder we know how you get it back to you.
Every event we find at least 3 critical costume parts, 2 phones and 1 tablet. Don’t let this happen to you!
Your future self will thank you for being so smart.
04
Find a good seat and camp out.
Bring books, tablets or work to occupy yourself while your dancer warms up or relaxes with her team. You’ll have a lot of down time and sometimes those mobile device batteries can’t keep up. Bonus points for bringing a portable charger because outlets can be hard to come by.
05
Bring a blanket.
We like to keep a small wrap or lap blanket on hand too because the temps in auditoriums tend to be cooler to account for all the bodies. They also come in handy for kids to sit on when inevitably they sit on hard floors during wait times.
06
Show some team spirit.
Get together with other parents and coordinate t-shirts or signs. This will encourage camaraderie between parents and show your dancers a little extra love.
07
Encourage good sportsmanship
Drama – it happens sometimes with lots of peeps spending lots of time together in a high pressure situation. Not a shocker. Be ready with calming words and encourage your dancer and team to be kind to each other and other studios.
#growinggoodhumans
08
Plan for emergencies.
Tights rip. Laces break. Things happen. Pack a few extras of those hard-to-share or hard-to-find items just in case. We also like to have bandaids, clear nail polish, nail polish remover, a sharpie, small scissors, hand sanitizer and fashion tape on hand.
#macgyver
09
Be proud of your dancer.
While your dancer might not say it, pressure to do well can be extreme. No matter what place your dancer gets, tell them that you are proud and to keep working hard in class – the next competition will be easier. We like to say trophies are earned at practice and picked up at competitions.