Seniors Megan Wilkerson and Samantha Johnson join dance team their final year | by KATHLEEN HOUGH

Every April, STA dance team hopefuls arrive at Goppert Center for tryouts, where they do their best to earn spots as new members on  the team.  Usually these hopefuls are predominantly, or sometimes all incoming     freshmen.  Last April, however, was different.  Two seniors accompanied the eighth graders, determined and inspired to be a part of “DT4L” (dance team for life).

“I’ve always loved dancing, but I’ve never danced for STA,” senior Megan Wilkerson said. “I was afraid that I would regret it if I didn’t try out, and I figured that senior year was my last chance to do it.”

Wilkerson and senior Samantha Johnson became new members of the STA dance team this year. Although both girls tried out as seniors, they did so for different reasons.

Johnson had been involved in competitive gymnastics for 12 years. After leaving the sport when she was a sophomore, Johnson’s friends encouraged her to try something new and different.

“When I did gymnastics, I always liked floor exercise, which was basically dancing,” Johnson said. “So I decided to give [dance team] a try.”

Despite being new to dance, Johnson attended tryouts her junior year. Although she was unsuccessful in making the team, she did not give up.

“It really motivated me to keep trying,” Johnson said. “I ended up taking dance classes throughout my junior year, tried out again my senior year and made it.”

Wilkerson’s extracurricular activities also kept her from trying out. Although she danced at Liz Kelley Studio for 11 years, soccer was her main focus, constantly interfering with any plans she had to try out for dance team.

“Since both of my sisters played college sports, I always thought I would follow in their footsteps,” Wilkerson said. “But then I kind of realized that I was getting burned out on soccer, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play it for four more years.”

With tryouts completed and athletic fees deposited, Johnson and Wilkerson have started to adapt to their new positions on dance team.

For Johnson, the shift from back-handsprings to pirouettes has been difficult.

“The transition from gymnastics to dance is really hard,” Johnson said. “Gymnastics is really sharp and stiff, while dance is more flowy.”

Wilkerson admits she may have underestimated the dance team.

“[Dance team] doesn’t look like hard work, but once you have to get in there and learn the ropes it’s a lot more difficult than people think,” Wilkerson said.

According to Wilkerson, being a new member on the team is tough.

“It’s hard to come on [the team] as a senior because even though you are considered ‘seniority’ you really are at the bottom of the totem pole because it’s your first year,” Wilkerson said. “Even though I liked being looked up to by freshmen and sophomores [on the soccer team], it’s not bad being on dance team and looking up to other girls instead.”

According to sophomore Theresa Murphy, a “second year veteran” on the dance team, the new members have adjusted well to being on the team.

“[Wilkerson and Johnson] don’t seem like new members to the team at all,” Murphy said. “I still see them as older, even though they have less experience on the team than I do. I wish they were on [the team] in years past. They are really great girls.”