Finding your place in college can be hard, but being part of a team can make it a lot easier. Kate Anderson, a freshman on the dance team, didn’t only make friends with her teammates, but she also found her T-Bird family.
“I tried out for the dance team because, if I wanted to come to SUU, I had to be involved in something,” Anderson shared. “It was either cheer or dance, but I did cheer for three years [in high school], so I wanted to switch it up.”
When she first joined the team, Anderson had reservations. She wasn’t from the area, so she didn’t know anyone else trying out, and the audition process itself was different from what she was used to.
“It was really stressful, and I was just so nervous,” explained Anderson. “People tried to talk to me, and I wouldn’t even speak because I was so scared.”
Even when she made it onto the team, she still felt a little uneasy.
“It was kind of awkward because nobody knew each other,” said Anderson. “So [making the team] was exciting, but also no one knew anyone, so I didn’t really know what to do or what to think.”
It wasn’t until they started practicing as a team a few weeks later that things started to turn around for the incoming freshman.
“Our first practice was still weird because I didn’t know anyone besides the girl I drove there with,” Anderson shared. “I got in the car, and we talked the entire way. We didn’t even turn the music on, and we were just instantly friends.”
From there, Anderson began feeling more comfortable with her team as she spent the weekend with them at a dance camp in Las Vegas.
“I literally didn’t know anyone outside of their social media,” said Anderson. “But then we spent every single second together for three days straight, so when leaving, I felt like I knew everyone on the team.”
Anderson also learned new dances throughout her weekend in Nevada, which only added to the bonding experience she had with her team.
“We learned so many dances every single day,” Anderson elaborated. “I was so physically tired, but also my brain was so tired. We were all so sore, so we all kind of bonded over that as well.”
Apart from being able to share her love for dance with her new friends, joining the dance team has also given Anderson an opportunity to appreciate SUU as a new student since being involved has meant meeting new people and getting to know her way around the area.
“It was good to be in Cedar a little earlier because I literally knew where nothing was,” explained Anderson. “And [athletic] games are so fun. A lot of the people I know in my classes I know because they go to games, and I see them sitting in the same spot every time.”
Anderson believes that she wouldn’t be having the same experience at SUU had she not been on the dance team. She feels that being involved with the team has impacted not only her social life but her academic life as well.
“I do better in school because I have to plan more on when I do it,” she said. “I have to follow all of the due dates for everything because I either have practice or a game [to attend].”
Anderson is grateful for all of the opportunities and experience she has gained, but overall, she’s extremely grateful for her little T-Bird family in general.
“If I need anything, then I can text our group chat and somebody is always willing to help,” Anderson shared. “And we always hang out with each other in our free time. Like, we are already together all the time, but we still choose to hang out.”
Today, Anderson is amazed at how far she has come from being a shy new member of the team to a part of the SUU dance family.
“Thinking back on it, it’s so weird because I didn’t know anyone at all,” Anderson explained. “Now, I am genuinely friends with each person on the team. I feel like I’ve had an experience with each of them separately that has given me a relationship with everyone.”
Author: Gentry Wolf
Photos courtesy of Kate Anderson
Editor: Kale Nelson
eic@suunews.net
This article was originally published in the Spring 2024 edition of the University Journal.
