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228. Inside Utah Drill Team · Anything But Routine

0:00
SPEAKER_00: We don't we for the rhythm do we make the rhythm we call we create our car Hi everybody, welcome to Anything But Routine, and I'm very excited about a guest that we have today.
0:20
SPEAKER_02: Her name is Elena Roo, and she is a high school drill team coach, professional dancer, choreographer, girl mom of two little ones, and a sales leader based in Utah.
0:30
SPEAKER_02: She's been coaching for over a decade and is known for building not just competitive teams, but cultures rooted in kindness, positivity, and elite sportsmanship, which I love to hear that.
0:42
SPEAKER_02: And this team is in Utah.
0:44
SPEAKER_02: Under her leadership, her teams have been consistently nominated among the top teams in the state for sportsmanship and have won the UHSAA Best Sportsmanship Award at two years in a row, voted on by other teams.
0:58
SPEAKER_02: Elena is passionate about helping dancers become the best versions of themselves on and off the floor and believes that we rise by lifting others.
1:07
SPEAKER_02: So welcome.
1:08
SPEAKER_02: We're finally talking because we've gone back and forth so much.
1:11
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
1:12
SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Cindy.
1:13
SPEAKER_01: I am so excited to be here.
1:15
SPEAKER_01: I religiously listen to your podcast.
1:18
SPEAKER_01: And so, and I love everything that you do.
1:20
SPEAKER_01: I feel like our coaching styles really align.
1:23
SPEAKER_01: And I just feel so blessed to be here today.
1:26
SPEAKER_02: I feel they align too because when I'm reading your things, I feel like, yeah, we're very much alike.
1:31
SPEAKER_02: So, so you've coached 12 years, and yeah, and you're creating culture rooted in kindness and confidence and respect.
1:40
SPEAKER_02: I love that.
1:41
SPEAKER_02: So let's just dive into some questions.
1:44
SPEAKER_02: Um tell me about your first 12 years of coaching.
1:48
SPEAKER_02: Like, how did you get started?
1:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I started with choreographing.
1:53
SPEAKER_01: So I would go around to the different high schools and studios and choreograph routines.
1:58
SPEAKER_01: And then I got an opportunity to start coaching at a really like small school in Salt Lake City that is very diverse and you know, really struggled to just keep a dance program alive.
2:13
SPEAKER_01: And I just fell in love with it.
2:15
SPEAKER_01: I fell in love with coaching.
2:16
SPEAKER_01: I thought, oh, coaching will be so easy.
2:18
SPEAKER_01: I've taught dance for years, I've choreographed, and then you get into, at least for me, high school coaching is so different than studio because there are so many other aspects of working with the kids that you really have to look at from all different angles.
2:33
SPEAKER_01: And you're really not just teaching dance, you're helping them be good humans and learn how to navigate all of the ebbs and flows of life.
2:42
SPEAKER_01: And I just I yeah, I fell in love with it.
2:45
SPEAKER_01: And I was at that school in Salt Lake City for eight years and really built up the program over there, and then I had an opportunity to coach closer to my home.
2:54
SPEAKER_01: And so this will be going on my fourth year here at North Rat High in Leyton, Utah.
3:00
SPEAKER_02: So Leighton, okay.
3:01
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I've been to Salt Lake.
3:03
SPEAKER_02: Uh, I spoke at something out there once.
3:05
SPEAKER_02: I spent a long time ago, but I love it, it's beautiful out there, just the mountains, so gorgeous.
3:11
SPEAKER_02: So um now I I actually watch your like I creep and fangirl, the Utah State dance drill team competitions because I enjoy them.
3:22
SPEAKER_02: Now you say military is your favorite.
3:25
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
3:26
SPEAKER_02: Like so tell me about the styles.
3:28
SPEAKER_02: What's big in Utah?
3:29
SPEAKER_02: What do people yeah?
3:32
SPEAKER_01: So uh Utah has a lot of similarities to Minnesota.
3:35
SPEAKER_01: Um, we have a focus on it either it's we call it our dance routine.
3:39
SPEAKER_01: So it's can be any style between like jazz, lyrical, contemporary.
3:44
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then we always do hip-hop, a character routine, which is also one of my favorites.
3:50
SPEAKER_01: And um, for the last few years, it's been a character mixed with hip-hop and then military.
3:55
SPEAKER_01: That's what we're known for.
3:56
SPEAKER_01: We're called the, you know, the drill team.
3:59
SPEAKER_01: And military is derived from the actual military, where you see their commands where they do a right face or a left face, and we turn it into a dance routine.
4:08
SPEAKER_01: So it's all about precision, cleanliness, footwork, flexibility, and strength and movement and just being like so powerful and strong.
4:18
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's why I love it the most because a lot of dance styles are more kind of more emotional and they flow maybe a little bit or just super hype and fun, but military is so serious and it's just a completely different side of dance that is.
4:35
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I love I love the precision of military.
4:37
SPEAKER_02: And I, when I first started, which was a million years ago, I actually, you know, went to some camps where they taught military drill, and we did learn the you know, right, you know, to the left flank, march, all that stuff.
4:50
SPEAKER_02: And I remember I did one in Winona, Minnesota, and we had a Marine that taught our military drill, and we were going down the street doing that, and it was really fun.
5:01
SPEAKER_02: And I remember getting, I have a fond memory.
5:03
SPEAKER_02: I got home, and I was telling my dad about it, and he was he was in the military, so he was like, I can do that.
5:09
SPEAKER_02: And we went out to the driveway and did all that, and it's kind of a neat memory.
5:13
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love that.
5:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was fun.
5:15
SPEAKER_02: But I one of the things I'm amazed at, okay, several things in Utah.
5:20
SPEAKER_02: Um, the strength of your dancers is amazing because you do all these headstands, handstands, push-ups, really kind of like acrobatic, almost like cirque des sole type movements that are hard, and you'll get the whole mass of the team doing it.
5:38
SPEAKER_02: How do you do that?
5:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we train really hard all summer long.
5:43
SPEAKER_01: So, right now we're heading into our like strength and conditioning season.
5:47
SPEAKER_01: So for our team, we practice Monday through Friday, 6 a.m.
5:51
SPEAKER_01: till 9 a.m.
5:52
SPEAKER_00: In the summer.
5:54
SPEAKER_01: In the summer, yep.
5:55
SPEAKER_01: Every every morning in the summer, we set good routine or good habits for waking up early and just starting your day off working out and conditioning.
6:03
SPEAKER_01: So for our team, we start on the track at the football field and we run laps.
6:09
SPEAKER_01: So every morning we run a mile, and then from there, there's oftentimes a lot of bleacher runs, which aren't the girls' favorites, but they really condition and prep like our your leg muscles.
6:19
SPEAKER_01: You're using whole body movements with combining, combining that with building your stamina because you're running on bleachers.
6:25
SPEAKER_01: And then we do weight training as well.
6:28
SPEAKER_01: And then throughout all of that, we also combine dance technique and training.
6:31
SPEAKER_01: But I feel like the weight training and the conditioning in the summertime with running bleachers and miles is what really helps us get to that level that we need to be at so that we can be strong enough to do all of the skills we need to do.
6:44
SPEAKER_02: Amazing.
6:45
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6:49
SPEAKER_02: Our directors have all the benefits of running a dance program in their hometown without all the hassles of owning a business.
6:56
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7:02
SPEAKER_02: For more information, go to Team Just for Kicks or email me directly, Cindy C I N D Y at justforkicks.com.
7:12
SPEAKER_02: So you're you have a strong state competition and association there in Utah.
7:17
SPEAKER_02: Can you tell me a little bit about that?
7:20
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I honestly believe that Utah is one of the strongest associations in the nation.
7:27
SPEAKER_01: It everybody who's involved in it is just absolutely amazing, and they work really hard to make sure that the coaches are heard, um the dancers are heard while bringing in all of like several different rules and regulations and making sure that everything is really as just and fair as possible.
7:44
SPEAKER_01: Um, we also have a Utah Dance and Judges Association, and so they really are, um, in addition to the Utah High School Association, they really speak up for coaching staff.
7:56
SPEAKER_01: So we do surveys for things that we want, changes, like how did things go last year?
8:00
SPEAKER_01: What are you looking for this year?
8:03
SPEAKER_01: And I I just always feel like our voices are heard as coaches and we're able to do everything that we can to make what is very artistic in dance also very competitive as a sport.
8:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it is competitive because I have, like I say, I've watched it and watched it, and it's fun.
8:19
SPEAKER_02: It's it's just so different, but so similar.
8:22
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, it's cool.
8:23
SPEAKER_02: I like hearing that you're part of your, so you're part of your state co um state high school league with other sports and things.
8:31
SPEAKER_02: Is that what you're saying?
8:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and that's unusual.
8:34
SPEAKER_02: Minnesota is too, and that's unusual.
8:36
SPEAKER_02: Most states that are listening today don't have that.
8:38
SPEAKER_02: And I also love hearing that you have a judges association that supports you, which we do in Minnesota as well, and most states don't have that.
8:46
SPEAKER_02: So we're kind of it unusual when it comes to that.
8:49
SPEAKER_02: So um, yeah, so how does your state competition run?
8:54
SPEAKER_02: Does a board run it or does the state association run it?
8:58
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so the UDJA, the Utah Dance and Judges Association, runs our competitions um with the UHSAA involvement.
9:08
SPEAKER_01: So we have a particular representative there that run helps with drill team.
9:12
SPEAKER_01: And so they run the state competitions together.
9:15
SPEAKER_01: And we the way that we do it here in Utah is also a little different, but we have quarterfinals where every team will get to go to quarterfinals and they at least get one chance to dance out on that state floor.
9:27
SPEAKER_01: But then the qualifications come in for qualifying for semifinals and finals, and then that's where they break it down into essentially just a bracket system.
9:36
SPEAKER_01: So the top teams that move on go get to compete at semis and finals.
9:41
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
9:41
SPEAKER_02: So when you say they break it to semis and finals, do you first make it to semis, dance there, and then possibly make it to finals?
9:49
SPEAKER_02: Or okay.
9:50
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
9:51
SPEAKER_01: So there'd be like three different times that you dance.
9:54
SPEAKER_02: So is that all in one competition or is it weekends apart?
9:59
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, it's broken up.
10:01
SPEAKER_01: Usually it's in about a like a week, week and a half span.
10:05
SPEAKER_01: So it's still quite a bit, maybe three days within a week and a half.
10:09
SPEAKER_01: Oh, pretty tight then.
10:10
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
10:11
SPEAKER_01: Pretty tight.
10:11
SPEAKER_01: So you you have to have all your ducks in a row for if you're going from semis to finals, not you know, no time for changes or anything like that.
10:18
SPEAKER_01: You're just going out there and doing your best.
10:21
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
10:21
SPEAKER_02: And it's held at a quite a big arena, correct?
10:24
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's at UVU.
10:26
SPEAKER_01: So it's a college dance floor, it's a massive arena.
10:29
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, it can fit thousands, and we fill up just like the bottom part, and that's all full, and it's it's just absolutely amazing.
10:36
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, it's it's in a really big arena.
10:39
SPEAKER_02: One thing that I think is neat when I watch your state is that the judges are closer at your state than they are at our state.
10:46
SPEAKER_02: And I find that interesting.
10:47
SPEAKER_02: They can they still see formations and everything from that close?
10:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it might look like they're closer, but they're pretty like if you're looking at the bleachers, the bottom half of the bleachers are at the very top.
10:59
SPEAKER_02: Okay, okay.
11:00
SPEAKER_01: And so they can still see the whole floor.
11:02
SPEAKER_02: Um, but they still can see faces.
11:05
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
11:05
SPEAKER_01: Which I like that.
11:07
SPEAKER_02: Because ours are far enough away that um, you know, that sometimes I feel like they hard they miss out on a little bit of that, and maybe not.
11:15
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you have really have to, you really have to emote to have someone see you in the top, you know.
11:20
SPEAKER_02: So that's probably a great challenge.
11:23
SPEAKER_02: But so what are current goals you have for your team right now?
11:27
SPEAKER_02: Like how do you have a new team just starting?
11:29
SPEAKER_02: Do you have tryouts?
11:30
SPEAKER_02: You know?
11:31
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we just had our tryouts, um, so middle end of March-ish.
11:36
SPEAKER_01: And so right now, while they're in school, we also take freshmen on our team.
11:40
SPEAKER_01: So we really don't have too many practices since they're at different schools, but we'll start off in the summer.
11:46
SPEAKER_01: And our goals for this team, we're, I mean, for our personal team, we're really excited because we have a bigger senior class, which is fun.
11:56
SPEAKER_01: And I know there's a lot that goes into that as well.
11:59
SPEAKER_01: Um, our goal really with our seniors, they're really amazing, is just making sure that we're all in this together and that we're listening to one individual voice at a time.
12:10
SPEAKER_01: Um, so there aren't too many cooks in the kitchen.
12:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, exactly.
12:14
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes a large senior class can be challenging.
12:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
12:18
SPEAKER_01: Yes, yeah.
12:19
SPEAKER_01: So that's one of our main focuses right now.
12:21
SPEAKER_01: Um, for our team too, we're doing a lot of in-house leadership training.
12:26
SPEAKER_01: We felt like last year our leadership wasn't as strong as we wanted it to be.
12:31
SPEAKER_01: And so we really are focusing on making sure that our kids are knowing what we're expecting of them, what we need from them, um, what also what do they need from us so that we can have a really successful year.
12:43
SPEAKER_01: And our goal is just to honestly beat all of our scores from last year.
12:48
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
12:49
SPEAKER_01: So we just want to level up in every single routine.
12:51
SPEAKER_01: We want to place at every single competition in the top five.
12:55
SPEAKER_01: And then we want to also just have build an amazing sportsmanship team.
13:00
SPEAKER_01: That's what we're known for.
13:02
SPEAKER_01: Um, so any any school that I've coached at, that's something that we just really focus on, kind of like we talked about at the beginning.
13:10
SPEAKER_01: There's just high school is hard.
13:12
SPEAKER_01: It's everything for them.
13:13
SPEAKER_01: And if they take, you know, nothing else from being on our team, we want it to be to be kind, hardworking humans.
13:20
SPEAKER_01: And so that's a what a really big focus for us every single year.
13:24
SPEAKER_02: And that's so important because you know, they're gonna take that away forever.
13:29
SPEAKER_02: What whatever, you know, whatever genre they go into, whatever job they get, it it they all carry that with them, being a good human.
13:37
SPEAKER_02: And I think that is is important.
13:39
SPEAKER_02: So um what do you find challenging as a coach?
13:43
SPEAKER_02: Like, what is one of the hardest parts that people don't see of coaching?
13:48
SPEAKER_01: I that's really that's a really hard question.
13:53
SPEAKER_01: And I feel like it changes every year.
13:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, last year.
13:57
SPEAKER_02: And that's true, people don't realize that.
13:59
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
14:00
SPEAKER_02: It does.
14:00
SPEAKER_02: Your challenges switch, you know, every year.
14:03
SPEAKER_01: I feel like as soon as you think you have it figured out as a coach, it's totally different.
14:07
SPEAKER_01: And you're starting over the next year with something new.
14:10
SPEAKER_01: This this past year, my biggest challenge was working with athletes that I you care, you just care for so all of your athletes, and you just you love them so much.
14:21
SPEAKER_01: And when they don't fit into the culture that we're building here, one of kindness and love and respect.
14:28
SPEAKER_01: And some of that is based on you know their upbringing, things that are a little bit out of their control.
14:34
SPEAKER_01: It's really hard to cut those kids when you you know that they're maybe toxic to the team and not providing a good culture fit, but you want to give them that opportunity to have a safe space and change.
14:46
SPEAKER_01: I think that's one of the hardest things.
14:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, anytime you have to cut a kid from a routine or from the team completely, like it's so hard.
14:54
SPEAKER_01: And at least for me, like it just totally breaks my heart every time we have to drop numbers from routines or you know, different things like that.
15:02
SPEAKER_01: I think that's one of my biggest challenges.
15:04
SPEAKER_01: And then another thing is just building up the kids' confidence to know that their scores don't reflect their worth as a human.
15:13
SPEAKER_01: Right.
15:13
SPEAKER_01: Um, sometimes you place really well and that feels amazing, but sometimes you don't.
15:18
SPEAKER_01: And it doesn't affect who you are as a person.
15:21
SPEAKER_01: And it's just part of the process.
15:22
SPEAKER_01: Every single team has wins and losses.
15:25
SPEAKER_01: You know, um, if you look at football, they probably win about half and lose about half.
15:30
SPEAKER_01: For dance and drill team, we have a lot less competition time to really gauge that off.
15:35
SPEAKER_01: So every little loss stings a little bit more.
15:38
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
15:39
SPEAKER_02: I agree.
15:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's just a thing to navigate is teaching them how to let it push them to work harder, but not let it affect them completely.
15:47
SPEAKER_02: Right.
15:47
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because it it's a balancing act, like dealing with their their feelings and motivating them at the same time and pushing them.
15:56
SPEAKER_02: You know, and I feel like it's so uh some of the kids struggle so much with self-worth after they they they think that their self-worth is all contingent on whether they won a trophy.
16:08
SPEAKER_02: You know, I even see that I I see that a lot in solos.
16:11
SPEAKER_02: You know, our studio does a lot of solos.
16:13
SPEAKER_02: I'm switching hats.
16:14
SPEAKER_02: I also run a studio at in high school.
16:17
SPEAKER_02: And when some of the kids um, you know, they don't come out where they think they should, then they're very upset.
16:24
SPEAKER_02: And you know, and I keep saying, I just want them doing solos so they get better.
16:28
SPEAKER_02: I really don't care where they land, I just want them to push and put themselves out there.
16:33
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, so I can see where that's challenging.
16:36
SPEAKER_02: You mentioned you started saying that a top did you mention a toxic person, a bad apple?
16:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
16:43
SPEAKER_02: So how as a young coach have you learned to deal with that?
16:46
SPEAKER_02: Because that is huge.
16:49
SPEAKER_01: It's so hard, and honestly, like I this year, I this last year I didn't do what I should have done.
16:59
SPEAKER_01: I should have cut them from the team.
17:00
SPEAKER_02: We've all been there.
17:02
SPEAKER_01: And I've I've done it in the past where I've cut them from the team because it, yeah, they're just weren't contributing to our goals.
17:10
SPEAKER_01: And this last year, again, I just I my I was leading with my heart and not my head and what was best for the entire team.
17:18
SPEAKER_01: I was really focused on trying to help that one individual because of the other things going on around them.
17:25
SPEAKER_01: And what I learned doing our end-of-year surveys is it really hurt the team more than I realized.
17:30
SPEAKER_01: And the our kids are so awesome and they're so kind and they don't want to hurt anyone either, so they don't bring it up.
17:38
SPEAKER_01: And so this last year, I just I it's really focusing, like I'm really focusing on moving forward with thinking about the team as a whole and making those hard decisions faster immediately.
17:51
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, you if you have someone who's toxic to your culture, you just have to cut them as much as it hurts.
17:56
SPEAKER_01: I promise it'll be better, and it'll be better for you too.
17:59
SPEAKER_01: You'll last longer as a coach because those years are always the hardest for me is coaching too.
18:04
SPEAKER_02: It's yeah, it's I feel like you have to get good at making tough decisions, yeah.
18:12
SPEAKER_02: You know, if you have somebody at work that's toxic, it rubs off to everyone else and they don't like it.
18:17
SPEAKER_02: I mean, we've all been in that atmosphere, and it it really does spread to the team.
18:22
SPEAKER_02: And I actually uh am having a call later today on a situation where uh in one of our youth programs where the mom's toxic toxic behavior is spreading to the kid, and then the kid is bringing it to the team.
18:37
SPEAKER_02: And you know, that's something to watch for, you know, whichever side you're on, coaching or parenting, that that it makes it harder for the coach, and coaches have to deal with that.
18:48
SPEAKER_02: So um what comparison pressure pressure you mentioned that with social media and how competitive everything is getting.
18:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's huge.
18:58
SPEAKER_02: I I mean I feel like they used to just compare to the teams they competed with and now it's to the world, you know.
19:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they have so much pressure and just uh figuring out that good amount of pressure.
19:09
SPEAKER_01: So you need some pressure to really level up and with yourself.
19:13
SPEAKER_01: But again, I think just tying that to like them being amazing doesn't affect you, doesn't mean that you're not amazing, right?
19:21
SPEAKER_02: Right.
19:21
SPEAKER_02: Cheer for your I just read a quote the other day, you know, cheering for someone else doesn't take anything away from you.
19:28
SPEAKER_02: Yes, and and and we we do need to to realize you're more than your score sheet, which is what you love here.
19:35
SPEAKER_02: I like that.
19:35
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, it is really that balance of pushing excellence, but then accepting when you don't quite hit it, you know, and and I'm excited we're having this mindset guy come into camp this summer and he does a podcast on mindset.
19:49
SPEAKER_02: And and I feel that's something that we're all dealing with all the time, no matter what sport it is, you know, you have to be able to shake things off and get back in there and and and be able to shake off what you did, or and everybody's gonna make mistakes, you know.
20:05
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
20:06
SPEAKER_02: What's that song?
20:07
SPEAKER_02: Everybody makes mistakes.
20:09
SPEAKER_02: Um so yeah.
20:11
SPEAKER_01: No, that's exactly right.
20:12
SPEAKER_01: We did a an in-house like training on um your mindset and rebounding.
20:18
SPEAKER_01: So if what happens when you make a mistake, what do you do to bounce back faster, to shake it off, to keep moving forward?
20:25
SPEAKER_01: Because we had some kids who would really dwell on those mistakes and then it affects the whole routine.
20:30
SPEAKER_01: And so we really quickly started to focus on all right, if every you are gonna make mistakes, it's natural it's gonna happen.
20:37
SPEAKER_01: So when that happens, how can you get back on immediately?
20:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, focus on recovery.
20:42
SPEAKER_02: Yes, and I feel like I never talk, you know.
20:46
SPEAKER_02: New coaches, one thing I would give for advice is don't ever talk about don't make mistakes.
20:51
SPEAKER_02: You know, then they're gonna make them, you know, don't set them up for success.
20:54
SPEAKER_02: I usually say, if you make a mistake, make it a big one, but focus on your recovery, focus on your recovery.
21:00
SPEAKER_02: You know, everybody makes mistakes.
21:02
SPEAKER_02: I I just saw somebody in a competition last week that fell and she slipped on the floor and she got right back up.
21:09
SPEAKER_02: And that means more to me, like if I'm judging somebody that can just get back and not let it shake their them to the core.
21:16
SPEAKER_02: That's the kind of athlete you need.
21:18
SPEAKER_02: And you know, I don't care what sport it is, if it's basketball or dance or football, you have to be able to be resilient and bounce back.
21:25
SPEAKER_01: So 100%.
21:28
SPEAKER_01: And with like basketball, they can call a timeout and go huddle off the side of the court.
21:32
SPEAKER_01: But in a dance routine, we can't call a timeout for an error and say, hold on, let me pump them back up.
21:37
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the kids have to be able to do it themselves, which is also hard as a coach.
21:42
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, like you said, fail big, don't like the more the kids are not afraid of going big and just messing up and and also getting back up and moving forward, the better the team will be.
21:53
SPEAKER_02: And I feel coaches need to really hone in on that because a lot of coaches, I've heard them, I've seen Them.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: I remember one studio owner that I knew at a competition was like somebody made a big mistake on stage and she wouldn't talk to the kid the rest of the day.
22:09
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, what?
22:10
SPEAKER_02: You don't do that?
22:12
SPEAKER_02: You hug them and say, you know what?
22:14
SPEAKER_02: Let's get, you know.
22:15
SPEAKER_02: So I think coaching with love is huge, very huge.
22:18
SPEAKER_02: And you know, so yeah, I'm glad to hear you're doing that out in Utah.
22:22
SPEAKER_02: That's neat.
22:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
22:24
SPEAKER_02: So let's talk a little bit about.
22:26
SPEAKER_02: We talked a little bit about um fitness and running the bleachers and and all that.
22:30
SPEAKER_02: But do your kids go to studio during the year and do ballet for the technique?
22:37
SPEAKER_01: Um, some of them do, and they continue to dance at studio.
22:40
SPEAKER_01: We always encourage it.
22:41
SPEAKER_01: The more they can dance, the better.
22:43
SPEAKER_01: Um, for us, we actually do um ballet is our on our Monday practice.
22:48
SPEAKER_01: So we'll still condition and work out and then we'll go and do ballet.
22:52
SPEAKER_01: And this year I'm teaching that I did ballet for a long time.
22:55
SPEAKER_01: I got to dance with ballet west growing up as well, which yeah, which is so much fun.
23:00
SPEAKER_01: And so, yeah, we do ballet training.
23:02
SPEAKER_01: It's uh crucial.
23:04
SPEAKER_01: I wish they could take it every single day because it helps them so much in every aspect.
23:09
SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, with our the way that we're running our summer practices is we have a different focus for each day of the week.
23:16
SPEAKER_01: And so Monday is ballet, Tuesdays are turns, um, Wednesdays is I think leak training, and then more turns on Thursdays, and then across on Fridays.
23:27
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
23:28
SPEAKER_01: And so the kids kind of have a focus.
23:30
SPEAKER_01: I think that helps them too to know what to expect every single day and just be focused.
23:35
SPEAKER_02: Oh, that is a neat training program.
23:36
SPEAKER_02: Do you have more coaches than you?
23:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I do.
23:42
SPEAKER_01: So I have um two that I have been with for the last three years, one that has been with me for seven.
23:48
SPEAKER_01: And so she's like, she's my the other half of my brain.
23:52
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so, and then we just added one more coach this year as well.
23:56
SPEAKER_01: And then we also try to bring in guests throughout the summer.
23:59
SPEAKER_01: So they're not just hearing our voices every day.
24:01
SPEAKER_01: It's good for the kids.
24:03
SPEAKER_01: Um, it's nice for us as coaches as well to have others coming in.
24:06
SPEAKER_02: I feel having others come in is just first of all, it can be validating, it can be reassuring to your kids that you do know what you're doing because they say the same thing.
24:16
SPEAKER_02: Because I I know we've had people come in and I'll be like, gosh, I've never heard that before.
24:20
SPEAKER_02: You know, like it's like a light bulb moment.
24:22
SPEAKER_02: The kids kind of go, Oh, yeah.
24:24
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
24:24
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's neat because it just breaks it up and makes it more fun.
24:27
SPEAKER_02: You know, that's a struggle when you're working that hard to keep all the practices interesting.
24:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
24:33
SPEAKER_02: Back to ballet a little bit.
24:35
SPEAKER_02: We I'm that's one of our goals this year.
24:37
SPEAKER_02: We do ballet twice a week in the summer, once a week in the the when in the school year.
24:42
SPEAKER_02: And we do an hour and a half ballet class twice a week.
24:45
SPEAKER_02: So that's good.
24:46
SPEAKER_02: But I still feel I and when it's off season, we can't go with our kids.
24:52
SPEAKER_02: It's a Minnesota rule.
24:53
SPEAKER_02: But I wish somebody was there, you know, going, focus on your feet, focus on the technique.
24:59
SPEAKER_02: You could go through the motions of ballet or you can really do it.
25:03
SPEAKER_02: And I feel like anytime my daughter is with we're doing ballet with her there, she's just like, this, this, this, you know, and where I think our ballet uh teacher is very kind and he doesn't call them out much.
25:17
SPEAKER_02: And I kind of think they need it a little bit, but yeah, so I I like the ballet.
25:22
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna try to incorporate it into our warm-up every day, just even doing you know, tondus, we call it Romanian torture because he's Romanian, but we do the um relevant, you know, to the front, to the side with your leg, and those are killer, and that helps your turn so much, and just focusing on we do ballet jumps every day that we can try.
25:43
SPEAKER_02: Do you?
25:43
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
25:44
SPEAKER_02: So these are yeah, and then do them in second, and then do them in you know, third, and do them in fourth, so that you get that explosiveness for your jumps.
25:54
SPEAKER_02: I do love that.
25:54
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, we have that included in our dynamic warm-ups as well, where they do a lot of tondues, um, degligés, botmas, sautes.
26:03
SPEAKER_01: And so they are doing a little bit of ballet every single day.
26:07
SPEAKER_01: And um, this year, especially, but every year, but this year, our word for the year is intention.
26:13
SPEAKER_01: So doing every single thing with intention.
26:15
SPEAKER_01: When you're doing a little tongue, a point of the toe, how hard are you pointing?
26:19
SPEAKER_01: Is it going all the way from like your hip down through your leg into your toes, all the way through?
26:24
SPEAKER_01: And just those little details, like you said, matters.
26:28
SPEAKER_01: And that's another thing that we've talked about in a lot of our first practices is you can be doing the exact same warm-up as the person next to you every morning, and they might be improving in your not if you're not giving it your all and being intentional and focusing on those little details like your feet.
26:44
SPEAKER_01: So I I love that you're yeah, talking about the how they're focusing on how they're doing what they're doing.
26:50
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and that goes for everything.
26:51
SPEAKER_02: I mean, if you're working out in a workout class and you're doing yoga, you can fake through it or you can, you know, be dying, drip it in sweat, and that's what you kind of want.
27:01
SPEAKER_02: So that's that's neat to hear.
27:04
SPEAKER_02: So, what have we not talked about?
27:06
SPEAKER_02: Is anything that's unique to your team?
27:09
SPEAKER_02: Do you you talked about styles, but what styles do you personally do with your team?
27:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so um we in Utah we have to compete um in three routines, which is a dance routine.
27:21
SPEAKER_01: This year we're doing more of a jazz, like a classic jazz routine, which I love.
27:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, we do a character with a hip hop, and then we do military.
27:30
SPEAKER_01: Those are our three state routines.
27:32
SPEAKER_02: So what's character again?
27:35
SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah.
27:35
SPEAKER_01: So character is just exact, like you just pick a character or uh um, so for the like last year we were Hades from Hercules.
27:45
SPEAKER_01: Um, so we, you know, like the the villain in it.
27:49
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then we there are different, you can do just do so many things like the Joker, or we had I am now blanking on like every character, but like if you think of a movie and like a character from that, that's what you pull in your costumes, and then you have to act it out too.
28:04
SPEAKER_01: So you get judged on how you portray that character, and then you also have to do different like dance styles that would fit that character.
28:12
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
28:13
SPEAKER_02: So is that relatively new there?
28:16
SPEAKER_01: Um, we've kind of done it for a long time.
28:18
SPEAKER_01: So even when I was on drill, we had every three years we would do character, but for the last like oh, yeah, all the years blend together, but I would say for the last like eight years, we've had a character mixed with a different style.
28:32
SPEAKER_01: So we've done character and kick, character and jazz, and then for the last few years it's been character and hip-hop.
28:39
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
28:40
SPEAKER_02: And I think I've seen that on some videos that I watched, but I just thought it was hip-hop and they, you know, did yeah.
28:47
SPEAKER_02: So because I think sometimes people that don't have the character cat category probably do it just for a create choreography creativity, you know.
28:58
SPEAKER_01: So yeah.
29:00
SPEAKER_02: So how do your score sheets work?
29:03
SPEAKER_01: Our score sheets are pretty intense.
29:06
SPEAKER_01: Um, we have, I can even send them to you after this.
29:08
SPEAKER_01: So you can do that.
29:09
SPEAKER_02: That'd be neat because we can post it, yeah.
29:11
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love comparing to like what everybody is judged on, but so we are judged on um a few different areas of the routine.
29:18
SPEAKER_01: So one is like visual effects, how we how we look, how do the visuals look in the routines?
29:24
SPEAKER_01: We're judged on obviously the technique of a specific routine and execution.
29:29
SPEAKER_01: And then we're also judged on the choreography.
29:33
SPEAKER_01: So um, the way that our score sheets have worked for the last few years is you actually have three judges that are ranking you on choreography, and then three judges that are ranking you on execution.
29:43
SPEAKER_01: And um, it's interesting because you the execution really affects your choreography.
29:49
SPEAKER_01: Um, but a lot of times the judges say, I can see what you were doing there, but it's not needs to be executed better, or different things like that.
29:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, so we have six judges in total, and then the highest score and the lowest score get dropped, so it averages out.
30:02
SPEAKER_01: Oh, good.
30:03
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
30:04
SPEAKER_02: Well, that's neat.
30:05
SPEAKER_02: Well, gosh, I I really thank you for being on today.
30:08
SPEAKER_02: I I feel like you're a great coach and doing great things, and I love hearing that, you know, that you're making such a difference in your kids' lives.
30:17
SPEAKER_02: And I'm glad that our paths cross and that you've listened to the podcast.
30:21
SPEAKER_02: That makes me feel glad.
30:22
SPEAKER_02: And I hope that we meet this summer.
30:25
SPEAKER_01: Yes, I can't wait to come to Minnesota and I'm so excited.
30:28
SPEAKER_01: And thank you for all that you do for the dance world.
30:31
SPEAKER_01: I know I can like speak for everyone, but you're you have built such an amazing legacy, and I know that I personally look up to you and love everything that you've built.
30:40
SPEAKER_01: And at like when I was a new coach, your podcast really helped me through.
30:45
SPEAKER_01: So now I've been here for over a decade, which is crazy.
30:48
SPEAKER_02: And now you're helping others.
30:49
SPEAKER_02: That's great.
30:49
unknown: Yeah.
30:50
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you.
30:52
SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
30:53
SPEAKER_00: We make the rhythm.
30:55
SPEAKER_00: We call, we create the routine.