BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Try and try again

By Sydney Spilman, age 16 | April 1, 2017

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MARKETTES MOMENTS Sydney Spilman, a sophomore at Memorial High School, worked hard to prepare for tryouts for the Memorial Minikettes and then the Markettes, and says she has loved the experience.

When I moved to Houston in seventh grade from San Antonio, I had no idea what I wanted to do for fun. I had done gymnastics practically my entire life and just didn’t find a program I particularly enjoyed here. I tried cheer and rock climbing, but nothing really stuck. Before I knew it, it was my last semester of eighth grade and I was out of ideas.

We visited Memorial High School in January to learn about different groups and watch some perform. The Markettes’ performance really stood out. They looked like they were having so much fun and were very good. I knew right then I wanted to be a Markette.

Before I could even think about becoming a Markette, one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done was to prepare for the JV (Minikette) tryouts. I took some dance classes to get a feel for it before the first tryout in April. I didn’t make it and was really disappointed. I decided I really wanted to do this, so I began to prepare for the second tryout, roughly six weeks later. I took more group lessons, some private lessons, a few lessons with a previous Markette Major and practiced at home.

I was sore, I was tired, but I was determined. I was especially nervous at the second tryout because this was my last chance, but I felt much more prepared and had a confidence I didn’t have before. There were many really good dancers trying out. My hard work paid off, and I made the Minikettes!

As a Minikette, I continued to work hard, taking group and private dance classes, because I was determined to be a Markette my sophomore year. I was so excited when I made it.

Fast-forward to today, I am so glad that I decided to try out two years ago. I’ve made so many great friends, and even though it can be stressful (like before competitions and preparing for our Spring Show in April), I know that, at the end of the day, we always try our best and put on a great show!

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