Club Sports Spotlights
Performing Dance
Performing Dance had kicked off their season with rehearsals starting within the first week of the semester. Though there are not any upcoming events, they are currently rehearsing and preparing for their fall showcase! Each showcase has around 25 dances consisting of jazz, ballet, tap, contemporary, lyrical, musical theater, hip hop, heels, Latin/ballroom, and more!
More Than Just a Club
I asked performing dance president, Kayla Chi, to share a specific focus for this spotlight and her response was an incredibly heartwarming story about what performing dance means to her:
“This past March was our first time competing since Covid. All of us were really nervous because we had not competed in almost four years! Going to the competition was pretty intimidating because there were people there who had been on popular dance shows, such as World of Dance. However, we were able to come together as a team and take home 1st place in one of the categories we competed in. We were thrilled when we received this news because we did not expect to place high at all. This weekend was one of my favorite memories of college because the team got so close and we were able to achieve our goal by working hard and showing up. I am looking forward to competing again this year because of how much fun it was. Not only was winning fun, but also the moments leading up to it such as the 8 a.m. practices, traveling to the University of Delaware together, group dinners, and getting ready in the morning the day of competition. Memories like these are definitely the ones I will hold onto and remember when I think of RPDC. To me, RPDC is so much more than just a club or a way to stay active. These people are my family and push me every day to become a better version of myself. I am so lucky to have the chance to lead these incredible dancers and be in the presence of their talents every week.”
It is incredible to see a group of students come together and achieve goals that seemed unreachable, especially when you take into consideration that RPDC takes all levels of experience, “Some dancers have been dancing since they were two and others have never taken a dance class in their life… No matter what your background is, there is a place for you in this club and we are happy to have you showcase your talent!”, Kayla explains, demonstrating a strong sense of community amongst the dancers who are constantly learning from and supporting each other.
Commitment?
Kayla stresses that RPDC is a flexible time commitment that depends on how much you want to put into the company, “I find it pretty easy to manage school and dance because you can choose how many hours to commit to the club. Each dance meets for one hour a week. If you do not have that much time in your schedule, you are able to choose just one dance to be in. However, if you really want to be involved in our company, you are able to do up to 5 dances, which would take 5 hours out of your week”. This is yet another clear indicator that Rutgers performing dance is a space for anyone interested in dance to dedicate as much or as little time as possible… So what are you waiting for? If dancing interests you, RPDC will welcome you with open arms!
Ways to Support
Rutgers Performing Dance Company is having a fundraiser at Panera Bread on College Ave all day on November 15th, which applies to all online and in-cafe orders! Additionally, if you are interested in RPDC and want to show support for their work, their fall showcase is coming up and information will be shared as it is confirmed! If you’d like to support the dancers and all their hard work that came with preparing the showcase, or if you want to see what they’re all about before deciding to join yourself, the fall showcase is a great place to do all of that.
Running
This past Saturday the running team went to Jack St. Clair Memorial Race where their men’s team placed third and their women’s team placed fifth. The race was held at Belmont Plateau, which is known for its challenging hills. Nonetheless, they stood their ground and showed strength against DIII teams & open clubs.
For college club cross country, the men are racing over 8 km and the women over 6 km on grass or dirt trails that vary from flat to hilly terrain. In a race teams can score if they have a minimum of five runners and the placement of those five runners determines how many points you earn. Rutgers Club Running competes in NIRCA (National Intercollegiate Running Club Association) & at Regionals against all the other college running clubs from NJ, PA, Maryland, Delaware, DC, West Virginia, & Virginia. In order to advance to NIRCA Nationals, which is in Indiana on November 11th this year, they need to aim for a top ten team placing.
When asked about confidence levels on the team this season, Club Running President Kevin Guether said morale is high, mostly thanks to their new coach Anthony Uzwiak, an anatomy professor here at Rutgers. Last weekend at the Scarlet Classic the men’s team took home first place, which is a goal the team has been trying to achieve since COVID!
In terms of new members, the running team is open to all levels of experience, and practices are always open! It’s never too late to join! There is no required attendance and you only have to compete if you choose to. If you are interested, runners meet outside the College Ave Student Center on Mondays through Thursdays at 5:30 PM & Fridays at 4:15 PM for practices.
Team Reflections
For both performing dance and running, this past year has brought achievements that haven’t been seen since COVID, whether that be participation in competitions or the results they receive. This is a refreshing sign that things are finally beginning to settle back into normalcy post-COVID in the club sports world and brings excitement and anticipation as to how club sports can grow from here.
This Month’s President’s Meeting Recap
We recently held our monthly Club Sports President’s Meeting to address important matters concerning our clubs and their activities.
First, we met with Lindsey Myers from Consolidus to discuss the processes required to order and produce custom merchandise for our clubs. We encourage all of our Club Officers to be proactive in this process and maintain contact with the team at Consolidus to ensure a quick and easy ordering process.
We then discussed the approval process for Club drivers, the difference between Personal Vehicle drivers and Defensive Drivers, and the correct process for reserving University Vans.
If you have any special events or specific information you would like shared with the Presidents at our next monthly meeting, please contact amy.shohet@rutgers.edu.
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Do you have exciting news or updated information to share with the Club Sports community? Contact our writer, Hana Zimmerman at hz441@scarletmail.rutgers.edu.
