We hit our ending pose. With heavy breathing and tears in our eyes, we waited for the curtains to close.
 

That was it, our annual Spring Show was over, and with it my last performance on the Talonettes drill team.
 

I first saw the Talonettes when I was in seventh grade, and I immediately knew that that was what I wanted to do. I looked at them with their sparkly outfits and bright smiles, and I became obsessed. So, when tryouts for my freshman year came around, I nervously awaited our results.

I didn’t make the team.

But I didn’t let that stop me. I joined a competitive studio dance team during my freshman year and worked tirelessly to improve. When I tried out again for my sophomore year, I made the team.

I was ecstatic, to say the least. I loved being on the team with every practice being an enjoyable workout and every performance an adrenaline rush with my best friends.

But over time, that love for dance dwindled. I found the time commitment unnecessary, and the drama exhausting. I dreaded practices and performances.

At the same time, my love for journalism grew.

I first took the Journalism I elective as a freshman, and I loved it. Writing came naturally to me. So, when sophomore year came around, I joined the newspaper staff.

I couldn’t make it into the actual newspaper class period because it occurred at the same time as drill team practice, so, I was in a photojournalism class where I sat in the back and worked on newspaper projects with four other staff members.

That little taste of newspaper I had in that back corner was enough to get me addicted. I loved writing. I loved publishing, and I loved being on the staff.

I continued to be on the staff my junior year – once again not in the main class period due to conflicts with drill team practice. With every piece I published, my love for journalism grew until ultimately, it overtook my love for dance.
So, when junior year ended, I was done with dance. I quit the drill team for my senior year. I was finally able to dedicate all of my time to newspaper and be in the main newspaper class for the first time.

I walked into our team boot camp the week before school started, and I knew I had made the right decision.

 

No drill team can compare to the dynamics of a newspaper staff, and no perfect leap can compare to the satisfying feeling of writing a powerful article. Eagle Nation Online became my home – a place where we united under our goal of publishing, lifted each other up as we read each other’s articles, and always had fun while doing it.

Quitting the drill team allowed me to focus entirely on journalism, which has helped me personally improve my technical skills as a journalist as well as my leadership skills as an editor. I’ve had more time to publish, and I’ve been able to create personal connections with everyone on our staff.

Even though I became burnt out, I appreciated every lesson dance taught me. I like to think that writing is just a dance of words, and the right combination can create the most powerful piece. Performing taught me how to work under pressure and on deadline, and the constant practice taught me diligence.

Our staff performs almost like a drill team. The publication provides a never-ending dance full of information for our audience. The choreography of our articles and the behind-the-scenes practice of our interviews and drafts finally unite in multiple performances to show our readers what they want – and need – to know.

In May, I’ll break away from our team, but I know that our staff is great enough to continue under new leadership. In college, I’ll read proudly from the audience while continuing as a soloist for my school’s newspaper. The show must go on, and Eagle Nation Online will never stop dancing.