Few Returners Makes for Many Freshmen

The Vilociti team performing.

It’s been said that incoming college students should be weary of the “freshmen 15,” a reference to seemingly unavoidable weight gain during the first year of campus life. However, the returning members of the Utah State University hip-hop team are in danger of a different threat – the freshmen 10.

In the absence of last year’s members, 10 new freshmen have joined the team, twice the number of last year.

“Because there are only a few returners, at the beginning, it felt like the hard work and dedication of the team was missing,” said Kaylee Andrus, a seasoned Vilociti member.

Aside from initially lacking spirit, Andrus feels that many of the freshmen magnify the existing emotional stresses of dance.

“As always there is some drama which is brought on by everyone, but intensified by the freshman,” she said.

Numerous returning team members have concerns that mimic those of Andrus.

“They do really well learning choreography and working well together on the floor,” said Erik Wynn, a member of last year’s team. “However, I feel that there is a lack of unity that existed last year since it seemed like we all did so much together.”

Julia Williams was a freshman of the Vilociti team last year. Now a sophomore, she relates to both the new team members as well as those returning.

“Freshmen year was the funnest year of my life,” she said. “The only down fall was that no one takes you seriously, especially the older girls. On the other hand, the boys loved us.”

As team captains, Natalie Miller and Jamie Smith said that there could be unique challenges to leading so many new members.

“I think the biggest thing is maturity as a dancer,” said Smith. “Learning to dance with a team is not just about you. There is a lot of drama, pettiness, and competition with younger girls, when really it’s not about who is in front.”

While Miller agrees that maturity is a factor, she believes the biggest difference comes from a lack of experience.

“They have never been to the Howl so they don’t know the extent of what it takes and what the whole atmosphere is supposed to feel like,” Miller said. “They don’t know the stresses that come right before performances so it’s hard to prepare for events. They are also trying to figure themselves out so they have a hard time balancing dance with the normal stresses of college life.”

Despite concerns, however, Miller believes that the influx of freshmen has been beneficial.

“They haven’t experienced the hard times of dance so they are really optimistic,” she said. “As a whole, they provide insights and styles without being influenced by things we’ve done in the past.”

Miller also acknowledges that this year’s freshmen will be the future leaders of the hip-hop team.

“Many of the girls have had a lot of past experience in other styles of dance so our horizons are broader,” she said.

“As long as they love the team and stay, they will be strong for at least the next four years,” Wynn said. “They will only continue to progress and grow together.”

(j. wilkinson)