On May 9th 2015 my team volunteered to perform at a Sweet 16 party. This was risky, as the team was just starting out, have had attendance inconsistencies during rehearsals, and had rearranged positions and formations several times already. Yet, the fact that they were courageous enough to want to perform anyhow was amazing to me!
When we got to the party, the DJ could not figure out how to connect the music from my Ipod directly to his speaker system. Thus, we had to improvise and attempt our routines without the music we had been rehearsing to.
We started off fairly strong! The first routine came easily. Yet, when once one team member messed up during the ending, we found that she could not get her head "Back int the game!"
Thus, the next routine turned into a COMPLETE disaster!
The girls were disappointed and felt terrible! One confessed to believing that they had actually ruined the birthday girl's event. Luckily for us, the crowd was nice and encouraging through it all; still giving an applause afterwards. However, I and my steppers know that we are capable of so much more!
Although a person may be good at what he/she does, being a good team member is much more complicated: Others' strengths and weaknesses become your own. It takes time to develop as a performing unit! I am not making excuses for our mistakes. But, familiarity with one another and how to handle "Mess-ups" when they occur, is a huge factor toward performance success.
I am proud of the fact that no one quit! Also, no one fought or pointed blame at one another. Full accountability was accepted as a group. Not very many teams have that level of unity or maturity. On top of that, the girls were able to mingle and have a good time following the ordeal. It was an overall great accomplishment and a huge, beneficial step for us!
From this experience, we will practice harder, pay more attention to detail and continuously grow until we reach the standard that we are striving for. Because we are FIERCE! Real families deal with the bad and the good, TOGETHER... I'm so proud of my team!
GEM Steppers- Teamwork. Discipline. Achievement.
