hey, hey! It has been a long couple of weeks of dance, but now that my coaches have given the team 3 weeks off to kick back and relax, I feel like an update is much needed.

Let’s start with Nationals. My last NDAs was probably my favorite one out of the 4 years that I have been on the team, despite the heartbreaking result of not making Finals. Through the sadness and despair that we all encountered after not hearing our team’s name announced for being finalists, all of my teammates grew closer and seeked comfort in each other and our friendships grew even stronger than before. That just shows how much one really depends on her teammates when she finds hardship. We were definitely stronger together.

After coming back from Nationals, a lot of unnecessary drama and upset occurred within the team and I personally thought the team was going to fall apart. Thankfully, everyone came together and hashed out whatever happened between each other and now we are piecing our friendships back together. I think this break will definitely be beneficial for the team because I really believe that you need to spend time apart from the people that you care about to realize how much you miss and appreciate their presence.

Often in life, certain situations arise and your patience and resilience is tested. You will want to give in to these temptations, but it’s important to shut the voice out that tells you to give up and that you’re tired and replace it with a voice that uplifts you and tells you that you are strong enough to get through this. All of these hardships are lessons that you should take in, reflect on, and learn from.