Welcome to week 8 of Choose to Grow – our last blog of the 2023 season!
Revisit your goals and make memories!
At this point in the season many of your schools are starting spring break and you may only have one or two more rehearsals left until Championships. This is a crucial time in the matter of revisiting team goals and making the work and rehearsals memorable. This is for many, the seniors’ last moments which will be remembered of their season and for future returning members these rehearsals will get them to want to return and grow the program even more next year! These last few rehearsals, no matter what division you fall in, are so important to the future of each and every group with the morale that you create.
Mindset is everything –
As you revisit your team goals it is important to examine where you started and where you are now! No matter scores and placements, find things that the team and individuals have grown in and celebrate that. It is wise not to set a goal in a “number” as many groups and rounds might be larger than you have experienced, and scores may be lower than throughout the year. Instead set goals that can be about personal achievement or making moments on the floor with each other and with the audience. Have students make a goal to meet other teams and network themselves to make friends and grow as a performer. If you’re a competitive team in a medal probability be ready to have a talk about how they handle success but also be ready to have a discussion regarding not meeting the competitive goal and how that will be dealt with. Preparing yourself for all of these discussions and mentally preparing members can always be helpful if your goals are set specifically within scores and placements. When in doubt, remind kids in life it’s important to work hard and stay humble.
How to make memories but still rehearse hard for championships –
As you set up your schedule, consider your team and what they need. If you have already had a great year with kids that are pushing themselves and excited for each rehearsal, keep going with what you are doing! If you encounter the end of the year burn out, some fun things you can do at rehearsal is have grade level run-throughs for each other, this will get your kids excited to perform for you and their teammates and celebrate kids that sometimes don’t get a lot of praise in rehearsals. Have a Friends and Family performance to get them excited to perform for the people who support them at home and away from the team. Make the last few days spirit days and dress up (old uniform day, color day, movie theme day, etc.) Finally, food is always a guard member’s best friend! Feel free to bring some snacks or prizes for a great run or specific chunks that are done to your level of success. All of these again are just fun ways to create memories, take lots of pictures, and get kids to share with each other why they are there and what the team means to them…always remember your why!
Take it all in –
As a director you have worked tirelessly with your team and staff to prepare for the best performance of the year. As you pull into Daytona take a deep breath and take it all in. You made it here; the kids get to share their art with other like minded people that only want everyone to be successful and have their best runs in one of the most beautiful facilities in the state! It’s important that no matter the outcome of scores or the show that day that you remember this is so much more than a placement but it’s how the kids feel and many times they will feel the way you make them. Remember to praise hard, support each other through the week, and cheer on all teams as everyone is deserving of a standing ovation for the amount of time and work everyone puts in to qualify and arrive here at Daytona!
I wish all of you the best as you enter Champs week and can’t wait to see all your amazing performances in the arena!
Great skill to you all!
Jamie Escobar-Dyer
FFCC Education Director
