The Fergus Falls High School dance team will host show Feb. 8

By Karin Burke | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, February 3, 2007

For some teenagers, recognition and respect are hard to come by.

It gets harder if you happen to be a girl. And if you happen to be the members of a high school dance team, not officially a school sport and not understood as anything other than cheerleading, respect and recognition might seem impossible.

In spite of that, nine girls at Fergus Falls high school have come together, practiced hard, and are starting to see results. They are the members of the Fergus Falls dance team. They practice five days a week. They compete across the state. They spend their summers at camp. They are athletes.

The team,comprised of Emma Phillipe, Lauren Gantner, Tiffinany Stich, Katie Koep. Back, from left: Jessica Macquedant, Mckenzie Umlauf, Steph Danielson, Courtney Distlen, and Amber Hagedorn. started two years ago when Chrissy Willits, dance instructor at Just for Kicks, brought the idea to the school board.

The school board agreed to allow the team use of school property for practices, but was unable to create a new high school sports team. Since that time, the team has practiced, competed, gotten better, and has slowly earned some respect from other students and teams at the school.

Anna Gantner, mother of one of the teams captains, said that there has been a lot of confusion about who the team is and what they do. “They aren’t a school team, and they don’t recieve any funding from school programs” she said. Becoming a school team is a process that may take time, but is a goal for the team. In lieu of school dollars, the team has to raise money on their own.

“We’ve had a carwash, hosted a day camp dance clinic, and we’ve sold raffle tickets”, said Katie Koep, a junior and a captain of the team. The girls have to raise money to buy their uniforms, pay for transportation to and from meets, and all the other sundry expenses that would fall under a school team’s budget.

On Feb. 8, the team will host a dance show fundraiser at 7 p.m., in the middle school auditorium. The dance team will perform a number of their routines, as will groups from local invited dance shows. Tickets will be sold at the door for $5 for adults; $3 for students.

“It’s hard to have to raise our own money, especially since people don’t really know who we are or anything about us” Koep said. “But we have had support. Mr. Schueller, activities director at the school, and Mr. Ratz have been very supportive, helping us get going and organize practices. An anonymous donor gave us our warm-ups”.

Lauren Gantner, the other captian of the team and a senior at FFHS, said that this year she thinks the team is stronger.

“We lost three girls this year, but gained three new ones. We think there will be more people trying out this year”, she said. Try-outs for the team are held in March.

Some of the girls had been dancing for years, as had Koep and Gantner. Others, though, had not danced before joining the team. “We learn a lot, together”, Gantner said. “We’re closer as a team than we were at first”.

“It’s not as scary this year”, said Koep. “We know what we’re doing now, and people are starting to get it. To know that we’re not cheerleaders. They’re starting to know that we are serious.” Koep suggested that dancing is a sport, just like anything else. She said she feels that other students are beginning to see that, too.

“The only difference is in how you carry yourself. How you look. You have to smile and look poised. A basketball player can sweat, and can look tired. We have to be sharp.”