PORTLAND – The Grant Union dance team can finally start to get Irish folk music out of their heads.

The dance team competed in the final show of the season at the Oregon School Activities Association State Championships last weekend in Portland. The competition marks the last time the team performed its “Celtic Tradition” show, after more than four months of repetition.

Grant Union coach Shannon Woodcock said she has already started planning for next year.

“I haven’t picked the music for next year yet,” Woodcock said. “Usually I have decided by now, but I haven’t found the right piece.”

Grant Union earned fourth place in the 1A to 3A division of the competition. The team earned a score of 56 during both days of the championships. That is a big improvement from their eighth-place finish of last year.

The finish is more surprising considering the age of the team, which has nine sophomores, three juniors and a senior. Four of the dancers didn’t join the team until mid-December. The team’s best recent performance was second place in 2004.

The show featured key parts from Sabrina Buckhaults, Laci Powell and Morgan Cleaver.

“This year we had less experience than last year, and more kids who hadn’t danced,” Woodcock said. “They did really well in the competition. They’re already talking about doing better next year.”

Woodcock said the trip was about having fun as well as competing.

“The kids had a great time,” Woodcock said. “The parents were wonderful. They put on an outdoor barbecue, and we had pizza the second night. It was just a fun trip.”