Remember December?
by Norm Ramil, 8CA main person and dance team fan
12/18/20 1:00pm
Can’t say this enough: we miss you guys.
So, the normal thing to do would be to dive right into talking about our 8CA Dance Uprising contest. Or spotlighting what you all have been doing to keep your teams going. Or taking you through the new pages on our website.
But every season I’m reminded of this truth: you gotta lead with the heart. What moves you? Start there.
So here’s what fuels my emotions right now: I really miss you guys and seeing what you do, learning about how you do it and why you do it. Every dance tells a story. But prepping every dance is a story in itself. Your hard work (not just this year, but all those years of work that led you to being able to wear your team’s uniform this year) is an amazing story that needs to be shared and celebrated. That’s one of my life’s passions and it’s a core mission at 8 Count Audio!
December for the Illinois dance team community usually means your second or third time putting your routine in front of judges. Or maybe you unveiled your “B” routine last month and you’ve saved “A” debut for a crowded gym in Naperville, Batavia, Dunlap, or Althoff Catholic. The practices get way real. Comp day has you managing long stretches of down time and intense bursts of high stakes pressure. After a couple December scores , you might have a sense of the path you’re on.
For me, the December experience is demanding but exhilarating. Figuring out schedules, balancing commitments, assigning staffers. There’s the packed bleachers, the taking-in of the full day, start to finish. The rapid translation of what my eyes, head, and heart see and feel into a positive tweet for the entire state to see. The driving, the iffy nutritional choices during and after long days of competitions. It’s all fast, often stressful, sometimes fatiguing.
I miss it all. As I like to tell dancers and coaches, “When you’re stressed or intimidated, just ask yourself: where else would your rather be right now?” You can come up with funny answers, for sure. But the honest one is, “Nowhere but here.”
I miss the teams and the dedication on display. The mingling of athletic feats with artistic creativity. The proud parents, well-meaning but usually confused boyfriends, helpful volunteers. Knowing when to raise the phone and capture those moments during and after awards that tell the emotional story. And making sure the state dance community knows the results as soon as they’re announced.
Hunting for scores. Counting up hours and paying the staff. Creating and posting results and pics. December comp weekends, for me, always spill into the weekdays! True, I’m the loudest voice when it comes to reforming the usual December schedule. More on that in a future post! Even after typing all of that, I’m still yearning for the whole experience.
Look, here’s the real deal. I’m trying to take steps to get beyond the weirdness this December. I figure that we can either sit around staring at the gaping holes in our December schedules, or we can fill it with the best sides of ourselves! That’s why we’ve refreshed the Illinois dance team page on our website. And, yup, the 8CA Dance Uprising virtual challenge! It’s true–we’re all smushed underneath a gigantic pause button. But after 20+ seasons, I’ve learned to keep a backup boombox handy that keeps the party going. Ready?