Competition Season Dos and Don’ts
by Brittany Hayes, 8CA Staff Writer
[This is Brittany’s first post for 8 Count Audio! Brittany’s a proud alum of the Crystal Lake Central Dance Team and currently attends The University of Georgia]
As the competition season goes full gear after the holidays, the stress levels for every competitive dancer begin to rise. No matter if you’re a newbie freshman or a veteran senior, the struggle of balancing school, dance, family, friends, and most of all yourself becomes very real, so as a seasoned veteran of the competitive dance life, I figured it was time to share some tips that I learned over the course of my four years in high school dance.
DO: Be organized.
Planning out your days may seem like a hassle, but when you have three tests coming up, practice every day after school for three hours, and anything else whether it be a job, household chores, other extracurricular activities, etc., you’ll thank yourself for having organized yourself in a way that allows you to attend to everything you need to do. This also helps you keep track of everything so that you don’t forget homework assignments or picking up your younger sibling from their practices (it’s happened before, trust me).
DON’T: Expect others to work around your schedule.
It’s high school so obviously at points you’re going to want to hang out with your friends, but because you have such a busy schedule, you can’t always expect them to be able to work around it for you. They also have lives they need to attend to so, if you’re planning on spending free time you have with friends make sure you plan in advance at times that work for everyone so you can avoid the arguments. Also, make your friends aware of the situation you’re going to be in for the next month or so, so that they know that you’re not always going to be able to hang out every weekend, and maybe they’ll even come to competitions in support of you!
DO: Ask for help if you need it.
Every year in high school comes with its difficulties, so it’s important to acknowledge when you’re struggling and then to not be afraid to ask for help. Every teacher understands that there’s a lot going on in our lives, so if there are certain classes that you’re having a hard time keeping up with due to your busy schedule, go talk to the teacher and see if there’s a temporary plan that you can work out to make sure you’re not falling behind. Be aware the only way this will work is if you go to the teacher in the first place, expecting them to come to you is unrealistic and being able to converse with your teacher about your needs will also help prepare you for the future.
DON’T: Make excuses.
Although your teacher will most likely be understanding of your situation, they won’t understand when you being to completely slack off. Believe me, I’ve been there plenty of times when you get home from a long practice and all you want to do is lay on the couch and sleep for a million years, but you need to at least put effort into getting your assignments done. If they don’t see you trying, they won’t be so willing as to help you out.
DO: Make time for yourself.
With hectic schedules, it can be hard to make time to take care of yourself but if you do, you will not regret it. This is the time of the year that everyone starts to get sick, so any small precaution you can take to keep yourself healthy do it. I’ve found that the citrus Halls work wonders on keeping your vitamin C levels up to keep you healthy, and also making sure that you’re getting enough sleep (even though that sounds impossible) will go a long way. This not only helps you but also your team because you’re keeping from spreading germs and also not having to worry about dancing down a person.
DON’T: Get overwhelmed.
It’s easy to find yourself getting overwhelmed and stressed out when you have such a busy life, but make sure you take a second to breathe and tell yourself “I can do this”. There’s many that have come before you that have survived the wrath of competition season, so make sure you never lose confidence in yourself because you absolutely can do it. The sacrifice, blood, sweat, tears, frustration, everything that is competition season will be paid off when you accomplish the goals you’ve been reaching for all season, just make sure you learn from the ride you take to get there.
The list could go on and on about surviving competition season, but above is what I believe to be the most important things to remember. Within my four years, competition season was always the highlight of my year, so even though it’s hectic and stressful, it will be some of the best memories you make during your high school career. Good luck and enjoy!