Lessons Learned

Greatest Lesson Learned this Year

One of the greatest lessons I learned this year was at the beginning of the year during Mrs. Reynolds absence. A large part of taking over her role was setting formations and cleaning dances for both pep-rallies and football games, and while I was always prepared in having the counts memorized and knowing the parts I wanted to change, I often found myself falling short in terms of how to explain how to do certain steps in the choreography or having a lack of confidence in terms of my volume. Mrs. Reynolds even told me this as I taught a certain part of a dance to the team and it has since been something that I've worked on. As football season progressed and I cleaned another dance I made a point to be clear with my intentions and let the team see more specifically the changes that needed to be made. I also worked on projecting a little bit more so those in the back could hear me. Dance is highly technical, and without that specificity it can be hard get anything accomplished. As potential Captain next year, I have a better idea as to how to guide and mentor those around in a way that is more efficient and helpful, especially in terms of improving the team from a dancing standpoint. Although not having Reynolds there to guide me was initially hard, it allowed me to build a sense of confidence as a lieutenant on my own in a way that will prepare me for next year.

How Will I Keep My Team Moving Through the Tough Times?

With a team of almost 40 girls, it is not uncommon to reach points in the year where there may be conflict just when tensions are high. As I mentioned before, with everything going on in our lives, sometimes the process and stress of practicing every day, whether it be for football season, contest, or Spring Show, can become tedious. It is at these moments when small, short-term goals need to be set. Instead of looking at Spring Show as the goal to look towards, it can be more beneficial to set a goal of cleaning 2 dances before practice is over one day. In creating these small milestones potentially before practice, it creates a sense of accomplishment, no matter how small, and makes the long-term goal seem less daunting. In terms of minor conflict, I find that officers reaching out to their squads can often help to create a sort of safe space. When life becomes stressful, as it will, I would often ask my squad if there is anything they need from me, even if it's just someone to talk to. Creating this safe space for the girls will not only be one of my roles if chosen for Captain, but will also just foster a more positive team environment in general.

Team Technique

Team technique was presented differently this year as Mrs. Reynolds pre-selected the skill we would be teaching to the team. I was assigned to do turns in second or fouettes. Initially, I was a little nervous as to how I was going to teach this as usually these "lessons" are done with the intent of improving an already known and acquired skill, where fouettes were a skill that some of the team didn't even know how to do. That said, I realized I would just have to adapt my teaching style and simplify the combination in order to make it easier for the whole team to do them. Teaching this skill not only allowed me to apply what I learned from earlier in year in terms of vocal clarity and detail, but also gave me a strengthened sense of belief in the team. Even though the skill wasn't easy for everyone, every girl attempted and tried to improve each time they turned. Although not necessarily a team skill, teaching this technique helped me to see the true extent of the capacity for improvement that this team has, allowing a mutual gain in confidence on the ends of both the officers and team members.

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