Ryan, 11
Competitive Irish Step Dancer
We believe in the power of praise and acknowledging every child’s accomplishments, milestones, and success! This week we’re featuring Ryan, a SOAR alumni who will be attending SOAR for the third time this summer. Ryan is just your average 11 year old kid living life and going to school in Ohio, except that he’s also a Competitive Irish Step Dancer—and a pretty good one, too! At the end of 2015, Ryan made it to the preliminary championship level of compeition, which is the second highest level. He also qualified for the 2015 regional competition, and was only three places away from going to the national competition!
Ryan first started step dancing at 6 years old. His mom was a Competitive Irish Step Dancer as well, and as Ryan puts it, “I thought it looked cool and wanted to give it a try.” He practices almost everyday and goes to class usually twice a week, for around two hours. During competitions, Ryan has one thing that some other dancers don’t have, ADHD! He credits his ADHD for giving him “lots of energy” during competitions. When asked what advice he would give to other kids looking to take on a new challenge, Ryan said, “Don’t give up. The tough keep going even when the going gets touch. I’ve wanted to quit quite a few times, but I haven’t and for that reason I’m still getting trophies.”
Way to go Ryan! Everyone here at SOAR is very proud!
Other Success Highlights:
Catie, 13
“Just before break, Catie took a math test on ratios. It consisted of 25 problems, all of which were word problems. This required her to read, comprehend the question, filter extraneous information, remember what she had read, remember the math and do it. She also had to have the stamina and resilience to get through all the problems.
SHE CRUSHED IT!! 90%!!
She could not have done this last year. So proud of her progress.”
Ben, 15
“Ben was selected for All District Honor Band, with over 1000 students auditioning! He also just performed, and was named First Runner Up for the Carnegie Hall Honors Performance Workshop!”
Has your camper recently experienced a new accomplishment, milestone, or success? We want to hear about it! Share it with us here!