Two of my nieces and one nephew were in Irish dance for a long time. I went to a number of events as part of the family.

I remember the mother of a twelve-year old mentioning casually that her daughter was vomiting from nervousness at every competition. What!?

I remember my sis-in-law snapping at her boy because his foursome got a low mark on a dance. He was about nine years old.

The kids are doing this because they think it's what their parents want. Do they have any choice? Not really.
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Nice post, Maryrrf.