It’s hard to believe it, but summer is just around the corner. Once we’ve finished competition season, tryouts and preparations for next year can’t be far away. Regimens for summer dance team training are as varied as the many styles of dance that we see today. Some directors schedule practice all summer long, while others rely on camp companies, private dance studios, or individual commitment to keep dancers on their toes during the summer.

Donna Pierce, director of the award-winning Welsh-Roanoke Junior High School Dream Girls, is one who practices throughout the summer with her team. "The girls get the first week of June off and then practice begins the next week. We practice two to three weeks each month, two days per week, and about two hours per day," she explains.

When her team attends camp, the practices are used to perfect their home routine, which later becomes one of their competition routines. They have one week off after camp and then they resume practice again. "These practices are to perfect camp routines that we will use for football season," Pierce notes. "If we do not attend camp, our practices help to perfect our first competition routine and to learn routines for the football season."

Pierce recommends inquiring about family vacations and school commitments to ensure maximum attendance at practices. Her practice sessions begin with a three-to-five minute warm-up and a review of material taught at the last practice. Then she begins the new material and an emphasis on technique.

Cindy Schaub, director of the Marksville High School dance team, requires her dancers to attend camp during the summer. "Many of them also attend dance classes year round, but I have one or two that I have to watch because they tend to become couch potatoes over the summer and then try starvation when school begins," she explains. She enlists the assistance of parents in keeping an eye on these girls over the summer.

Even the professional have to prepare for summer. Joyce Pennington, owner of American Drill Team School, requires her staff captains to meet for two planning sessions in May. "Our officer camp staff also meets for two days to work on choreography and workshops for officer camp," she notes.

The ADTS instructional staff of over 100 teachers meets in Salado at corporate headquarters for four days during the last weekend in May to choreograph, shoot the videos, and make final preparations for summer camps. Pennington requires her staff to stay focused on physical fitness. "They use various methods, but walking seems to be the all-time best way to keep your body in shape. This, in addition to specialized stretching and conditioning, seems to be the best," she adds. Melanie Hebert, an American Dance/Drill Team staff member, offers her perspective as a member of the LSU Golden Girls Dance Team. Hebert is a former member of the New Orleans Jesuit High School Jayettes Dance Team. "We had practice two or three times a week and a three hour practice on Saturday mornings. We would warm up on and across the floor for about an hour, then we would begin to learn routines for the upcoming football season," she explains.

Hebert’s high school team also attended summer dance camp as well as band camp. "It was tough there. It was the closest that I will ever get to boot camp. We marched in front of the school's band to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was at this camp where we learned the drills for the halftime shows, and the dance team also worked alone everyday on technique and routines. We slept (a little) in dorms. At band camp we learned about hard work and discipline, and it was also a good way to get to know the team better," she remembers.

As you can see, training programs are as unique as the directors who lead these teams. However, the common theme is that the training program should be used to insure physical fitness and successful performances during the upcoming football season. What will YOUR team’s summer training program consist of?