The day finally came when I would be going to Casper, WY, to try out for a position on the 3A All-State Dance Team. Originally, they were going to be held at the event center, but we were informed that the in-person tryouts were cancelled. This meant that I would have to learn and submit my tryout digitally. I was excited to eat out and enjoy the road trip there, so it left me disappointed. That night, I got everything I needed ready for my tryout and anxiously awaited the hour I would wake. As I fell asleep, I remembered how far I’d come in only the two years I’d been dancing.
When I woke up the next morning, I bounded out of bed and hurriedly ate my breakfast: a raspberry muffin. Although I live about 40 miles from Powell, the drive to Westside Elementary was immeasurably longer than I could have imagined. We had come over 20 minutes early, and the longer I sat in utter silence, the more my anxiety multiplied. When my coach finally came, I quickly stretched and practiced a few tricks I was expecting in the choreography. As my excitement bubbled, I hastily walked to my coach’s room. Learning from a video was harder than I expected because the moves displayed on the screen weren’t correlated with the direction I was learning them. There were only two tricks incorporated into the choreography that I couldn’t do very well but I still gave it my best effort. The most challenging part of the experience was dancing on beat since the music was fast. Only being given about an hour to learn the routine also added to the difficulty of the experience.
Before I knew it, my time for practicing had come to a close. With every step toward the gym, I became more apprehensive. On my first attempt, I got about halfway through the routine, and my mind went blank. This troubled me since I only had one more attempt left. On my second attempt, my memory grew brighter, and I finished the choreography. I was overwhelmed by the experience already, but having help from my coach pushed me forward. When I watched the video, I was disheartened by my facial expressions and technique. When I walked out into the cold day, I recalled my contempt. I was glad for the experience in itself, and I knew the memories I’d gained would mean more than a medal or All-State honors.
I then spent the next two days in suspense. I didn’t have high expectations and obviously wasn’t expecting to make it onto the team. The long-awaited message finally came from my coach. I made it into the 3A All-State Team. Not only were my teammates supportive, but so was my coach.
Although this year was a challenging one, I think that without the encouragement of my teammates and the determination of my coaches, I wouldn’t have made it that far.
And a special thanks to my coaches, Kelsi Koritnik and Jaxton Braten, for assisting me, and my teammates who never ceased to lend a helping hand.
