HIGH STEPPING: Sharni Plover and Lucinda Doodt show off their highland style. PICTURE: ADAM TRAFFORD.
TWO Ballarat girls have shone on Victoria's biggest stage for highland dancing.
Sharni Plover and Lucinda Doodt both won the highest possible honours at the recent Victorian Scottish Union Highland Dancing State Championships in Melbourne.
Ten-year-old Sharni, from the Ballarat Highland Dancing Society, took out the Paterson Shield for under-12s.
Lucinda, 15, won the main prize for competitors aged under 16, the VSU medal.
In a remarkable effort for the Begonia City Highland Dancers performer, it was the second consecutive year Lucinda had taken out the title a feat that had not been achieved for 30 years.
To win their competitions, both girls had to impress three judges by performing a highland fling, 'seann triubhas' and a sword dance.
Lucinda's mother Corinne, said the results were the effort of a huge amount of hard work by both girls.
"We were all very thrilled, a lot of hard work into it and it was about getting it right on the day," she said. "They were confident heading in but you never really know with three judges."