In step with best

As the current national and state champion in the 14 years category, Dara said she had mixed emotions in the lead-up to the event.

Competing for her fourth time, Dara said she felt more pressure this year than last because she ‘just scraped in’ to win a world medal in 2012.

Trophies are awarded to the top five competitors in each division, then medals to the next 22 and recall medals to the next 23.

Dara finished 26th out of 168 competitors, just making the cut for the world medal and is one of only three West Australians to ever win one.

She said her goal this year was to match or do better than last year ” and that she did, finishing 16th out of 166 competitors to win another recall medal .

Caoimhe is also the current state champion in the nine-years category and was runner-up in last year’s nationals.

Caoimhe, who said she wanted to ‘go and try my hardest and for the experience’ failed to win a medal.

Both girls practised every day, with four dance classes a week and more at home on their custom-built floor in the garage.

‘We also try to eat well and get early nights which is hard with school but we just need to keep focused,’ Dara said.

‘We just have to concentrate on what we have to do,’ Caoimhe added.

Fellow local members from the Scoil Rince Ni Ceide/Upton School of Irish Dance competing at the world championships were Woodvale’s Kiara-Mae Crone (13), Joondalup’s Olivia Romeo (19) and Sorrento’s Madelyne Glover (20).