Streamers flying throughout the air, aerials you only find at a friday night football game and hours of hard work put into one moment. The Silver Spurs will compete in the first ever open regional dance event, presented by Texas Dance Educator’s Association.
Texas Dance Educators’ Association (TDEA) will host the dance event on Nov. 3 for all drill/dance teams around Texas to compete and get scored by professional judges and see where they compared to other high school level dance teams in the state.
“This is a great chance for us to compete against other local teams and get feedback for all the hard work we put in,” Head Coach Alexandria Thomas said. “My girls can finally get the recognition that they so deserve after the effort they put in.”
Senior Molly Aldridge, who’s danced as a varsity spurs team for three years, sees as a veteran, it’s an important opportunity for the team to progress and see how the team performs coming off after winning Extra-large team National Champions in Galveston.
“I’m really excited to be a part of this event as it’s the first time we’ve got to compete at this kind of level,” Aldridge said. “It brings a lot of hype for the girls and raises the bar for how we’ll have to compete.”
Unlike Aldridge, Junior Courtlyn Riggs enters her first year on the varsity team as a rookie, also acknowledging the idea of new growth for the team.
“With this event we hope to get that recognition as we do just as much, or even more than other sports that get the spotlight,” Riggs said. “This will be a good test of our commitment as a team and an opportunity to show our school pride.”
As a Senior Lieutenant, Aldridge expects to lead the team in the correct manner and wants what’s best for the team.
“It feels like we don’t get enough recognition for just how much we do,” Aldridge said. “We are so busy all the time doing things that not many people see, and this gives us that opportunity to showcase it in front of everyone.”
The TDEA’s new event is not hosted by the UIL because of dance not yet being recognized as a sport. With this event, the purpose portrayed presents dance now becoming a recognised sport with the same benefits as others.
“We are more than just a halftime performance,” Coach Thomas said. “This gives us the chance to prove our hard work done all throughout the year, and be shown the way we deserve.”
