Hard Work

Nothing that is worth having in life comes easy, especially if you want to be the best consistently. You have to put in a lot of hard work and effort for the things that you want to accomplish. Hard work comes in different forms throughout different seasons of life. It is one thing to be a little kid just following directions and learning choreography, but it is another thing to organize practices, music, and putting together an entire demo from scratch.  The team captains Maddx and Jacquelyn accomplished that with our demo team “Purge.”

Talent

It is easy for people to see a really talented group of people and assume that everything comes easy for them. Do I believe that we have the most talent students on our team? Yes, but hard work beats talent every time if talent doesn’t work hard. The real formula is to have a talented group of people that are humble and willing to grind and get after it to reach their goal. 

Dedication

A championship performance doesn’t just happen. It takes countless hours of preparation, brainstorming, sweat, run-throughs, etc. Our team also had to find time for demo team practice and preparation outside of regular class time.

The captains and members of our team had to be sure that all of our students participating in the tournament were prepared for that event, as well as personally training for personal belt testings and individual competitions.

Three days out of the week, they would start practice. Sometimes after the adult class around 7:30 and they wouldn’t leave until 10pm some nights. There were also Saturdays where they would get to the studio early or stay late to practice.

Pushing Through

Preparing for a competition can come with some ups and downs. A good number of our teams practices were at the end of the day, after everyone had already been to school and class. They were all exhausted and hungry most of the time, but had to focus on the task at hand and realize that they had a goal that was more than worth it. They also had to push through a lot of physical limitations with injuries, bruises, fatigue, etc. It isn’t always easy to balance getting good reps at practice and resting your body. 

A Bond That Can Never Be Broken

Being on “Purge” is an experience like no other, and it is all because of the individual captains, students and parents. They can truly say that they are a family, and they will be one forever. If anyone saw how hard they worked and how they encouraged each other and lifted each other up along the way, they would know that they were doing this for each other. Most of them are already good friends, which makes it easier to work together, but somehow they all have got even closer throughout the past few years. 

The Result

Did they get what we wanted in Baton Rouge? Perhaps not. Did they face the outcome with pride and a chin held high? Absolutely.

Are all those banners worth all the time, blood, sweat, and tears (literally) that it took to earn each and everyone? Yes and I know the team wouldn’t trade it for the world. Purge rocks!