Although dance may not be the first thing you think of when you hear the word “sport,” the dedication and hours of work the Royales put into dance rivals that of any conventional sport.

“We dance two to three hours every single day,” junior lieutenant Lexi Anderson said. “Some weeks we have performance so it will be around four.”

For those who consider dance their passion, the group of girls is what makes all the sweat, tears and glitter worthwhile.

“The team creates a fun environment in practice,” Anderson said, “especially during football season. When it’s really hot and everyone is tired after school, having a fun environment makes things go by a lot faster.”

Royales captain Sarah Wilson had to agree that the group is arguably one of the best parts of being in the group.

“All my friends are in Royales and the director is really nice,” Wilson said. “It’s a good environment to be in.”

The team has activities outside of just football, with competition, basketball games and the spring show on the way.

“The spring show is cool because you get to show the school everything you’ve been working on,” Anderson said. “The majority of the school thinks we just do football games, but we do so much more. It is cool to show the school everything we can do because it broadens their horizons on their opinions of us.”

With all the dancers accomplish in a year, they need an exceptional leader that can have the team hitting every move in unison by the time the stadium lights gleam on Friday night.

“Sarah has a lot of responsibility,” Anderson said. “She is so good at leading our team in an effective and efficient way.”

Wilson acknowledged some of the characteristics of what it takes to be the captain of such an appraised team.

“Having a good sense of responsibility and working well with others makes you a good leader,” Wilson said.

These leadership qualities do not only pertain to dance, however, as Anderson puts it.

“A leadership position helped me, personally, prepare for my future,” Anderson said. “It is a position that can be applied to all different types of jobs and events in your life. Learning the skills of leadership, treating others with respect and being able to respectfully lead a team helps me in every part of my life.”

The assistant director of the award winning team, Kathy Conklin, has not let the team’s labor and efforts go unnoticed.

“The girls are a reflection of Mrs. Hills and me,” Conklin said. “They are the best of us and the energy that we used to and still have for dance.”

The energy these girls have for dance is undeniable, and it is reflected through their impassioned performances.

“It’s art,” Conklin said. “You get to see art happen and you get to create sometimes with them, and sometimes for them.” Conklin said.

For these girls, dance is a way of life. It is a physical expression of who they are and what they can do.

“Dance is a way for me to feel confident with myself and know that I am good at something,” Anderson said. “I want to do the best I can with it. Everyone has their thing in life. This is something I want to excel at, so I want to push myself to be the best I can be.”