Athletic Ability

Love it or hate it, reality TV has become somewhat of a norm in today's entertainment.

The newest reality trend are shows such as "Dancing with the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance," which portray dance as a competitive and difficult sport.

"Dancing with the Stars" is a competition featuring celebrities from the worlds of movies, music or sports who are paired with professional dancers. Football icon Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys appeared on season three, where fans of the show say the difficulties he faced while learning the routines were obvious.

"He struggled a lot, and you could tell that he lacked grace from all of the football training," says Palo Verde senior Cheyenne Sandler.

Though many people can relate to the participants' strenuous workouts, some question whether dance is a sport, a word defined as "an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature."

"I don't think dance is a sport because there is no clear winner or loser," says Spring Valley senior and basketball player Jason Walter.

Another Spring Valley basketball player, senior Kyle Doboe, agrees. "I do not consider dance a sport," he says. "I consider it a competition because they never physically play against another team as they are doing their routine."

Many dancers, however, have a different perspective.

"I do think that dance is a sport because we work just as hard as any other sports athletes," says Faith Lutheran sophomore Jacqueline Meyer.

"Dancers train hard to be in the best possible physical condition. It's so tough on our bodies the next day after a good dance class," she says. "We are always stretching and working different muscles. I don't think that athletes give us enough credit for all the work that we do."

Palo Verde senior Kelly Crossley agrees. "Dance works every muscle in your body," she says. "It stretches and strengthens different parts of your back that not many other sports can do."

Some athletes do recognize the skills dance incorporates.

"It takes some athletic ability," says Bishop Gorman senior Kevin Loyd, who plays basketball. "There is skill required because the stuff looks hard to do, like it takes some practice."

Walter agrees it takes skill. "I could never do it."

Dance West studio owner Chris Harper says dance is much more than a sport, both physically and mentally.

"Sports address certain muscle groups," Harper says, "but dancers have to be completely in shape, plus balance and control, stamina and at the same time."

Ginger Rossiter, dance director of Coronado's Cougarettes dance team and the Coronado all-male dance team, says reality shows have highlighted the abilities needed to compete.

"Dance requires intense physical training, self-discipline and the competitive edge of achievement," she says. "'So You Think You Can Dance' has actually done a lot for the dance world by exposing the importance of being a well-rounded dancer and including all forms of dance in the life of a dancer."