Working with what you have

Jordan Setser, Opinion Editor

When a certain team is good at what they do, others look to them for example. They look to them for direction because whatever they are doing works. If you can’t beat them, join them.

The Har-Ber Silver Stars, however, are choosing a different approach.

“Before we started working with our own strengths, we kept just trying to compare ourselves to other teams. If we constantly kept comparing ourselves to the other teams, we were never going to get better. It took us awhile to realize that each team individually has something that they’re great at. When we tried to be like other teams it was just a mess. I mean how are we supposed to beat a team if we are trying to mimic them,” said senior captain Sydney Steele.

Each year, coach Lindsay Smith picks the team members according to their tryout scores, but it is up to each girl to decide what to do with their talents once they are on the team.

“I think that our team this year is more driven. We are the team that has made the most improvement and has been willing to put in more time and effort I feel,” said Steele. “This is my third year on the team and we have never practiced this much, but I feel like it has been showing at the competitions. At every practice it’s easy to tell how much everyone wants to win and is giving it their all.”

Their motivation and drive is evident throughout these many practices.

“It really helps when it comes to hard practices, what we all really want it, so we all have a positive attitude towards what we are doing,” said junior Elise Lindsey.

Hard work for this team seems to be paying off.

“We are working really hard to improve upon ourselves from the time before. Each time we do a dance we want it to be better than the last, even if it’s just in practice. Plus, getting closer to these girls as a team makes it so much fun,” said junior Linden VanHoose.

Besides their desire to win state, the Silver Stars have other expectations in mind as well.

“I hope to see that everyone just performs to the best of their ability. Everyone is capable of doing the dance good. I just hope they take that extra step and make it amazing,” said Steele.

Competition season for these girls is definitely bitter-sweet with the the long abundant practice hours and the rewarding scores. However, this season will be missed.

“I will definitely miss the seniors from this year because it’s the last time that we are going to be on the same competition team,” said Lindsey. “I will also miss the dances from this year because I feel like they are so challenging and they kind of just push our limits. They have changed us and made us into better dancers.”

With state as their main goal, the silver stars continue to strive for first, but realize the importance of, whether or not they win, they have accomplished so much.