For a Sky Dancer, the day starts at 5:30 am. Then they go to practice — a lot of practice.
The first practice starts at 7:30 a.m. with a quick stretch and then straight into the dances they have choreographed. Every chance they get, the SD’s are trying to practice in the gym. Once the first practice ends around 8:40 a.m. they head off to their regular school day. But that is just the beginning.
During football season, they have one night practice a week, two days before the game that will take place. They practice this on the field, to make sure the dance looks like it is supposed to. During competition season there is two night practices for two hours each, a week. All of this practice, adds up to about 22 hours a week and 88 hours a month devoted to drill team.
The SD’s are almost always willing to do it though. In fact, Aliya Johnston, sophomore on Sky Dancers says, “My favorite part is probably pep rallies because they’re a lot of fun and everyone is watching and cheering for us.”
It’s probably safe to say that everyone else’s favorite part of the Sky Dancers is when they actually perform too. Though some SD’s, such as junior Rachel Anderson, prefer the ‘behind the scenes’ Sky Dancers.
“We had a really good time at our lock in, we got to know everyone and it was really fun.” said Anderson.
The junior varsity drill team, the Violet Belles, are completely adored by the Sky Dancers.
“We love the Violet Belles and they are so sweet. I love cheering for them, they are like our little sisters.” Johnston mentioned. Anderson says, “We are so excited for the Violet Belles and we love them.”
The drill team also deeply cares about their coaches, Ms. Rose and Ms. Harris.
“Rose is always saying some funny expressions and Harris teases the team all the time and it makes practice entertaining,” Anderson said. The team is so glad to have great coaches like these to make Sky Dancers fun.
“Our coaches truly care about each and every one of us. They make coming to practice exciting and inviting,” Johnston says.
The Sky Dancers are not just a tight-knit group, Anderson describes that they “are all like a big family. A big, Timber Creek drill team family.”