Among the many athletic teams at SHS, the Sandpoint High School Dance Team has been a part of the early bird sports for many years. The girls work extremely hard every morning memorizing their routines along with technique and across-the-floor exercises.

“I wake up at 4:50 a.m. for practice every morning,” Katie Hernandez, a three-year member and senior, said.

Gabrielle Earle and Logan Hastings reported waking up around 5:30 a.m. to be on time. Many people do not believe that dance is a sport, but these girls put in much more time than most sporting athletes.

“Each week I put in about 16 hours of dance,” Breylan Martin, one of the captains and senior, said.

“I put in around 13 hours per week,” Taylor Johnson, sophomore and two-year member, said.

They also put in extra practice on the side and practice for longer than most sports in general. These girls not only have to worry about their own performance, but they also have to be in sync with everyone else on the team.

Dancers come to practice at 6:30 a.m., and additionally, they also have practice after school as well. Many of them also attend studio dance and have completely separate dance routines that they have to practice and memorize.

“We work so hard in and out of school with our schoolwork and dances. We always put 100 percent into everything that we do,” Madi Sleyster, a senior and three-year member, said.

The girls use motivation from each other, their coach Alyssa, and their assistant coach Emily McKay to keep up the hard work and to remind themselves that “the bigger you do, the dumber you feel, the better you look.”