Here are the most popular questions we get, and the most popular answers we give. If there's something missing, let us know, and we'll do our best to answer it. Click on a question to view the answer.

• Q. Does my family have to pay to see me dance?

  A. No! There is no gate fee. The family fee included in the registration covers any family that may wish to watch you perform.

• Q. Is my competitor number mailed to me?

  A. No, you check-in at the feis and get it. Don't worry - lines are not slow - there's no gate fee, so no cash exchange.

• Q. Does everyone who places get a trophy?

  A. Yes! Champs placers receive larger trophies; solo placers receive smaller trophies.

• Q. Do you give participation awards to everyone in the youngest age group?

  A. Yes, competitors in 421, 422, 721B, and 722B who do not place in either of their dances get a participation award.

• Q. Are you judged on your costume?

  A. No, you are judged on execution, carriage, material and timing. Your costume might make you feel "cool," and so you might dance better, but as long as it doesn't look like you don't care (dirty, torn, etc.) you aren't marked on costume. There are rare instances where a judge has to distinguish between two competitors based on overall impression (which is very subjective). Your $2,000 might help with Judge 1, but hinder you with Judge 2. Remember, the tastes of 10-year-old-girls and judges are likely to be very different.

• Q. How do I get my marks if I'm a solo dancer?

  A. If you are a solo dancer, your marks will be mailed to your Irish Dancing school within two weeks of the feis.

• Q. Do you have food vendors at your feis?

  A. Yes, there is food cart at our feis that offers food throughout the day (until it runs out).

• Q. Why aren't the competition numbers sequential?

  A. So competition 531 would be under 6s (5) advanced beginner (3) light jig (1)

• Q. Okay, so I see competitor number 912 and subtract 100, it leaves me with 812 when the cap is 800. What gives?

  A. Imagine you are the feis registrar. After the mail arrives on Sept 28th, you have 790 entries and 10 slots available. If the mail arrives on Sept 29th with 22 entries, do you accept 10 competitors and call the remaining 12 people to tell them they can't compete? Or not take any of them and say that the limit was actually 790 instead of 800? What if the mail arrives the next day and someone from New Zealand sent an entry postmarked on Sept. 16th? Because many of these scenarios are unfair, our syllabus rules say that we take entries that are postmarked through the date of the day we receive the 800th competitor. This is why there are sometimes extra competitors, it is the least of all evils.

• Q. What's with all those little pumpkins?

  A. Each competitor who comes to our feis receives a free mini-pumpkin when they check-in on feis day. Don't miss out on your mini-pumpkin!

• Q. What's with that guy on the home page?

  A. That's Mike. Tell him to dress better.