Off Topic More new pursuits for DD!

[msl529]

Hi all,

Just wanted to share about dd's LATEST idea for her extra-curricular life! Most of you know that she quit artistic last Spring, and is doing T&T two days a week.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to our town's High School Football game. We didn't fully understand when we moved here just how big HS Football is here, but we are 'getting' it. Apparently, our HS Team is one of top in the State w/ quite a few State Championship titles to its name. Which means everyone in town is freakin' nuts about the team, everyone goes to the games, even if they have no students at the school, and many come from out of town, just to watch our team play. HENCE, much money & energy going in to all things football and anything associated w/ it (marching band, cheer, drill team, etc.).

SO, dd watches the Drill Team (I will call them DT here on out) at Half-Time, & is hooked. Says she wants to do that in H.S. next year. I must say they were quite good. Looked much like a competitive dance team, w/ about 85 members or so.

It just so happened that the Drill Team held a 'Workshop' last weekend for all ages of girls. They were divided into age-groups, dd was in the 5th-8th grade group. They learned a routine (from a Dallas Maverick's Dancer no less, who is a former member of this DT). They get to perform the routine w/ some of the DT members at the Community Pep Rally next week. The Pep Rally for Homecoming could NEVER be @ the school here though, the whole TOWN wants to be there, so it's at the Football Stadium, next Wednesday evening, before the subsequent Friday's Homecoming game.

So dd attended the workshop, had fun, & can't wait to perform next week! The workshop solidified her decision to try-out for the Drill Team next Spring, as she will be in HS next Fall.

Here's the rub: Many girls have the same aspirations as dd here, and start dance training in advance (sometimes for years!). All the dance studios here in town offer Drill Team classes just to help them get prepared to try out. I am asking around, and it seems that if you don't have some pretty good training under your belt, you don't make it!

So now we are trying to find & fit in some dance classes, so she can be prepared by March! Lucky for her, she has some stuff in the bag, like the flexibility and leaps, but there is a lot she doesn't know/didn't get from gymnastics.

I think that her idea is a good one. Being a part of a 'team' like that will make her HS years so much fun. She is so social, and loves to perform. Gym meets were her favorite part of gym b/c she got to 'show off' (her words) what she knew. This may mean, however, that this Winter/Spring will be her only season competing T&T & then she'll move on. That is a big decision that she'll have to make, she won't be able to do both, as this DT not only does all the Football performances in Fall but attends competitions in the Spring.

I must admit I am tickled by all the new things she is getting to try. She's like a kid in a candy shop these days, and it is frankly, SO nice to not have to say "you can't do it b/c you have gym".

Now she needs some "learn to dance really well, really fast" fairies, lol!

Here is a link from a You Tube vid of the Drill Team performing at an 'away' game, just to give you an idea of what dd has to attempt to be able to do, in a few short months! Sorry for the long post!

YouTube - Southlake Carroll Emerald Belles - Half Time - Colleyville

 

[MdGymMom01]

Wow! That is so awesome msl!! I saw the video and they look really good! It looks like some jazz and ballet classes would definitely help your dd prepare for this. WOW! - being able to do those piroettes on the grass is pretty impressive! I am very happy for both of you that you get to experience all these new things! Dani does some dance and is doing another year of ballet this year as well. She even tryed out for the local production of the Nutcracker last weekend!! We will see this week what her part is. I can't wait to hear about how her tryouts go! Keep us posted!!! Tell her me and Dani say hi and good luck with T & T and the new DT venture!!!

 

[mariposa]

How awesome. Football is LIFE in TX. I remember going to high school football games at huge stadiums, too. Kind of fun.

Drill team will be really fun for your daughter. I was in band in high school and loved going to football games and performing (not in TX), it was so fun and I remember high school football games fondly.

Good luck finding her dance classes, etc. She is very determined and I hope she gets it all put together in time for tryouts!!

 

[msl529]

Wow! That is so awesome msl!! I saw the video and they look really good! It looks like some jazz and ballet classes would definitely help your dd prepare for this. WOW! - being able to do those piroettes on the grass is pretty impressive! I am very happy for both of you that you get to experience all these new things! Dani does some dance and is doing another year of ballet this year as well. She even tryed out for the local production of the Nutcracker last weekend!! We will see this week what her part is. I can't wait to hear about how her tryouts go! Keep us posted!!! Tell her me and Dani say hi and good luck with T & T and the new DT venture!!!

Wow, MdGm, sounds like Dani is a busy girl too! Best of luck to her in getting the part she wants in the Nutcracker! Thanks for the good wishes.

 

[msl529]

How awesome. Football is LIFE in TX. I remember going to high school football games at huge stadiums, too. Kind of fun.

Drill team will be really fun for your daughter. I was in band in high school and loved going to football games and performing (not in TX), it was so fun and I remember high school football games fondly.

Good luck finding her dance classes, etc. She is very determined and I hope she gets it all put together in time for tryouts!!

Thanks Mariposa! I was involved in football-related 'pep' stuff in HS too and it was a blast. Those games are fun to attend, there is so much excitement & energy in the stadium.

Yeah, our stadium is huge, (TX style!). It's not even at the school, it's an entirely separate venue, across town, & it's bigger/fancier than many college stadiums. Just the way it is here, I guess!

 

[bogwoppit]

MSL that looks like so much fun. I have never heard of drill team, so thanks for the video and the education. Best of luck to her for her new dance classes and hopefully her gymnastics training will help her at the try outs. She is used to moving well to music and can memorize routines, which is often a challenge.

I am sure the whole spirit of the game is very appealing to that age group. The high schools down there seem to be huge, like everything in Texas eh? Our high school only has 150 students for grades 7-11, we can hardly scrape together a team for anything and tryouts are a waste of time, they all get in.

So glad she is finding things that please her so much, it has been a big year for you all. How is the scoliosis doing?

 

[msl529]

MSL that looks like so much fun. I have never heard of drill team, so thanks for the video and the education. Best of luck to her for her new dance classes and hopefully her gymnastics training will help her at the try outs. She is used to moving well to music and can memorize routines, which is often a challenge.

I am sure the whole spirit of the game is very appealing to that age group. The high schools down there seem to be huge, like everything in Texas eh? Our high school only has 150 students for grades 7-11, we can hardly scrape together a team for anything and tryouts are a waste of time, they all get in.

So glad she is finding things that please her so much, it has been a big year for you all. How is the scoliosis doing?

Thank you, Bog. Wow that is a small school you have there! But nice and personal, I'll bet!

We have it kind of different here in our town, as opposed to most other TX or US High Schools. They separate High School into two campuses, one for 9th & 10th grade, and another for 11th & 12th grade. Each has about 1200-ish students in it, which makes it not super-big, compared to how big some schools can get. They manage to achieve a very personal feel this way and it shows in their behavior and academics.

The scoliosis is doing well. Her curve has not progressed over the past 6 months, which is great. Especially since she is not really in her brace 16 hours (like the docs want her to be) every single day. More like 12-13 hrs. on school days, and 16 hrs. on the weekends.

Thanks fior asking! How is your dd's scoli going?

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

Drill team must be a southern thing. We had that in Arkansas also. Lots of fun. Alot of my friends did drill team. I twirled rifles in HS with the band. Lots of fun but Drill team always had the cooler outfits! LOL!! She will have a great time and the dance classes will def prepare her.

 

[bogwoppit]

Thank you, Bog. Wow that is a small school you have there! But nice and personal, I'll bet!

We have it kind of different here in our town, as opposed to most other TX or US High Schools. They separate High School into two campuses, one for 9th & 10th grade, and another for 11th & 12th grade. Each has about 1200-ish students in it, which makes it not super-big, compared to how big some schools can get. They manage to achieve a very personal feel this way and it shows in their behavior and academics.

The scoliosis is doing well. Her curve has not progressed over the past 6 months, which is great. Especially since she is not really in her brace 16 hours (like the docs want her to be) every single day. More like 12-13 hrs. on school days, and 16 hrs. on the weekends.

Thanks fior asking! How is your dd's scoli going?

I love the idea of splitting that years like that, keeps the age groups more defined. Our school has 300 kids in k-11 in the same building and on the same buses, it can lead to some very interesting learning experiences! They never get to fly under the radar.

T's scoliosis seems to be unchanged, she gets muscle pain on the side away from the curve so she has to stretch that a lot and she gets physio for it too. No walkovers of any kind any more but that is fine with her. Hopefully when they finish growing it will not be an issue, we shall see.

 

[gymjourneymom]

Hey msl, Sorry to be coming in on this exciting post so late. Wow!!! This sounds like such an exciting adventure for your DD!!!! We just never know what each new day will bring do we?!? So proud of your DD for her willingness to try new & different things. Wishing both of you all the best as she embarks on this new journey!

 

[momofchalksters]

LOL - I knew even before looking at your info that you must be living in Texas! I grew up there - in the Dallas area (went to Highland Park) and remember well how big football and drill team were. That is great for your DD!

 

[msl529]

LOL - I knew even before looking at your info that you must be living in Texas! I grew up there - in the Dallas area (went to Highland Park) and remember well how big football and drill team were. That is great for your DD!

That's so funny, momofchalksters!

I am beginning to see that the Texas 'way of life' is very special to the people living here, and they protect their traditions fiercely! Once you've lived here, you 'get' the unique, crazy, loveable group of people that call it home.

I like to call my self a "Cali-Texan", just so people understand that my mindset was not born & raised here, & I am still learning! I'm just enjoying learning all the crazy, over-the-top-ness that is TX.

For instance, this is Homecoming week, and I have just learned about 'Mums', OH MY WORD! I know YOU know what that is all about, lol!

 

[NYgymfan]

Good luck! Hopefully the gymnastics skills will help her out.

 

[T.Gymnastics]

I LOVE HIGHSCHOOL FOOTBALL!!!! our drill team is not so good tho... (we call them dance team too) and our football team stinks but we still love to go and hang out, and watch the game even if we are loosing. GOOD LUCK TO HER! i hope she does well =]

Go burgundy silver and white!