It seems that everyone, including our young people, have such busy schedules and so many responsibilities to tackle each and every day. So when the members of the dance teams in our area schools put such dedication into their routines you know how much dance means to them.
Melissa Delaney, coach of the Chatfield varsity dance team has 11 members on her team. Not only does she coach the members of her team, but they also have a lot of fun together.
Blair Crouch, who is a senior at Chatfield High School and a captain of the dance team, states “I decided to try out for dance team my sophomore year with dance background. I made it on varsity and now this is my third season. Dance has taught me how to fly, and thanks to my amazing coach and team, I get to fly every day.”
Kylee Boettcher, 17, granddaughter of Keith and Mary Boettcher says, “I love being able to say I am a part of the Chatfield dance team, because it’s so different from other sports. I love dancing for Chatfield because it’s very creative and I love seeing people’s reactions when they watch us perform.”
Anna Johnson, 13, daughter of Paul and Dorinda Johnson comments, “Dance is important to me because it’s been a part of my life since I was three” so she has a decade of dance experience.
Alyssa Luehmann, 13, daughter of Brad and Heather Luehmann, who has also been involved in dance since she was three years old, says “I like dance because it’s fun,” and she likes spending time with the other members of the dance team.
Larissa Martin, a sophomore at Chatfield High School, is very passionate about dance, as she states, “I love dance. It’s one of my favorite things to do. A lot of people don’t understand dance or what it’s like; dance is an amazing thing that combines strength, creativity and skill” and takes dedication.
Martin goes on to say, “There’s a lot of debate if dance is an art or a sport but I would say that dancers are both artists and athletes. The thing with dance is we have to be giving 100% for the whole performance, but not show that it’s difficult (and it is difficult).”
Though it takes hard work ,the members of the dance teams wouldn’t change a thing as Martin notes, “There’s nothing like the feeling of going on the dance floor and giving it all you can. There’s nothing like the bond of a dance team and all being perfectly in sync” with everyone moving together in one swift motion.
BrookLynn Johnson, daughter of Paul and Dorinda Johnson, who absolutely loves being a member of the Chatfield dance team, states, “Dance is a major part of my life and what I look forward to throughout the school day. My coach and team are a major part of why I love it so much. Dance takes my mind off things and makes me feel good about myself.” Johnson enthusiastically says, “There isn’t anything else I would rather do” than dance!
Being a part of a dance team is so much more than dancing. Martin says “You get to know each other and your team becomes a group of people you spend early mornings and late nights with, perfecting details and laughing and eating and working and so much more. My team is like my family,” she states.
The heartwarming comments the varsity dance team members mentioned when asked about Coach Delaney brings that team closeness to light. “Our coach, Melissa is an amazing person. She’s patient and smart and funny and understanding and always has a smile on her face. We are so lucky that she’s the one who started Chatfield Dance Team six years ago, and it’s come so far because of her,” states Larissa Martin.
Danielle Hampel is the Junior Varsity dance coach for Chatfield High School, with 13 members on her dance team. Hampel says she began volunteering with the Chatfield JV dance team “because I have been in some form of ‘dance’ since I was very young,” so last year when Delaney asked her to help with the Chatfield dance team, “I was excited to help out!” she states.
“I think that coaching this sport is very rewarding,” Hampel says. The team performs at dance competitions throughout the season as well as boys and girls basketball games. “All the girls have great attitudes,” comments Hampel, adding, “they love dance and it shows” when they are both practicing and performing.
Hampel feels that dance teaches participants “to keep trying and to do your best, to have determination and dedication” and says, “it will create lasting memories and friendships you will always remember” fondly.
Kyla Olson is the coach for the Houston High School Dance Team. She says, “I have been involved in Houston dance since it began” in one way or another. “I was about seven years old when the team first started back in 2002 with Erica Upton-Wurst as the head coach,” states Olson as she explains her sister, Kristen was on this very first competitive dance team so, “I first started out as a fan for Houston” and after watching other family members be a part of the team and her other sister, Katie, eventually becoming team manager, Olson was inspired to get involved herself.
As soon as she was old enough, in seventh grade, she signed up for dance. “From seventh grade until senior year, I danced along some of the greatest girls whom I am still very close with to this day,” says Olson. After graduating, she was fortunate to have an opportunity to be part of Houston’s dance team as a JV coach. This year is her first year as Houston’s head varsity coach and “I could not be more excited,” she says.
Having been on the dance team, and now coaching the dance team, Olson knows full well that “unlike other sports, dance is a six-day a week sport” with a longer season that most sports and long days spent at competitions. “This is a very big commitment for young athletes and it takes a lot of dedication and perseverance. I commend my dancers for this,” says Olson.
Olson states that Houston dance team is fortunate to have gained a new JV coach this year, as well, in Shanta Gathright. Gathright is originally from St. Charles, Minn., where she was once a member of the dance team and for the past few years was an assistant coach there before starting with Houston dance team.
“The season is just getting started, but she has already been a tremendous help to me and the team” Olson says about Gathright adding, “I can already tell that she is an amazing addition to this program and I am beyond excited to see all of the great things she has to offer to our team” as the season progresses.
Erin Walters, 13, a member of the Houston Varsity Dance Team, who has been in dance since third grade, says, “I like that you can just do whatever you want and nobody is going to judge you when they are all dancing” alongside you.
Ashley Laschenski, 14, is in her second year of dance and she laughingly says she joined the Houston dance team because “my mom made me do a sport and it sounded really, really fun,” and she was right, as she states, “I like it” and has decided to stay active in dance.
Alexa Johnson, 14, has been in dance since seventh grade. Her favorite thing about dance is competition day because “it’s fun doing our routine in front of people,” she states.
Tessa Peterson, 14, is a seasoned dancer, as she has been involved since fourth grade and has made a lot of friends through dance, not only through the Houston dance team but also at Nicole’s School of Dance in LaCrescent, Minn., where she performs studio dancing.
Nadiya Carney, 14, is in her third year on the Houston dance team. She likes dance because “I like to be on a team,” she says and also likes the close friendships that are created through dance.
Maddie Srock, 14, has been on the Houston dance team for three years and likes dance because “it’s a super fun thing to do and the feeling you get when your dancing is amazing,” she states.
Elizabeth Larson, 14, in her third year on the Houston dance team, states that she enjoys being on the team because “it gives you exercise and you make friends” that you maybe wouldn’t have otherwise.
When the Houston Varsity dance team was asked to describe coach Olson, some of the comments heard were, “She’s great,” “She’s a really good coach,” “She’s fun,” and, “She has really good choreography,” among other compliments.
It is easy to see after meeting and talking with the members of these dance teams and their coaches that they may put in a lot of hard work but they also get so much in return.
Leave a Reply