Dance team is a storm. There are really rough times when it feels like it’s never going to get better, but once the storm has passed there is always a rainbow. The rainbow of dance team is winning at competitions. Practices may seem awful, but once the hard times are over, a rainbow shines over and makes everyone realize that the worst has past and it brought great things after it. One of those great things that I want for my team this year is to place at the state tournament. To do that, the dance team needs to work hard inside and outside of practice.

Working hard in practice doesn’t just mean that it is filled with intense workouts. It also doesn’t mean you are not allowed to have fun. Working hard means to improve and be productive. When a coach or captain gives me a critique on something, I never argue because that wastes time. I don’t complain about the comment given to me. I take the critique seriously and better myself, not just for personal satisfaction, but for my team’s sake. Working hard in practice also means doing everything correctly. When the team is doing a workout, it isn’t right that somebody doesn’t do it correctly, while everybody else still is doing it to the best of their ability. It doesn’t just cheat that person as an individual, it cheats their whole team. That goes right along with not expecting things to be given out like they are free. Those things being; team placements, solos in the dance, and certain spots in the formation. It is unfair that some people work extremely hard to get the spot they want, when other people just expect to be put in formation and expect to be given a solo in the routine. That isn’t fair to the team and it definitely won’t make that person a better dancer in any way. They will grow to think that they don’t have to change the way they are doing things because it is getting them what they want, which is why everybody needs to work hard. Working hard in practice isn’t the only way one can improve, though. Working outside of practice is just as important.

Working hard outside of practice means to workout during any free time, stretch to keep flexibility, and practice the dance every single night. Coaches will definitely notice who has been working on their own and who hasn’t done anything. Last year, when I was in 8th grade, I was placed on the JV dance team. I had previously set a goal to make varsity and when I didn’t I was extremely frustrated with myself. I knew I could have made the team, but I didn’t push myself hard enough. Then, that summer, I worked on flexibility and strength every single day. I finally got the opportunity to show my coaches what I had been working on at one of the summer camps. The last day of the camp my coaches pulled me to the side and told me that they had noticed how hard I’d been working and they wanted me to be on varsity. I was the only person in my grade who got moved up. Nobody else worked so hard to be noticed, even though most of them wanted to be on varsity. It was a dream come true to me. It proved that hard work really does pay off. Sometimes people can work as hard as they possibly can, but still not achieve the goal that they had set, but that was not the case for me and I am incredibly thankful for that.

Working hard inside and outside of practice is a necessity of dance team. Without it, the team would crumble apart, resulting in not making it to state. Dance team is like a storm. There is no guarantee when it will end. If the team doesn’t make it to state, then the season would end much quicker than if the team did make it. There is also no reassurance that it won’t be rough, but it will all be worth it in the end, no matter how far the team makes it in the season. I would obviously be proud of my team no matter what the outcome is, but placing at state is the goal I have set. Although it may be difficult to achieve, I do not back down from a challenge.