Blue & Gold. It's something that's completely particular to my high school alone, but that doesn't take away from its measure of importance at all. (There are also a few high schools nearby that do something similar, but -- and I may be a little biased here when I say this -- they can't hold a candle to our event at all. Ours is something entirely different and near and dear to my heart.) It's a lot to explain in a single Odyssey post, so all you need to know is that Blue & Gold is my high school's yearly dance competition, occurring always during the last weekend of April, and it's quite possibly the biggest event our town participates in.

You're probably wondering how that can be, since my entire town isn't made up of dancers. But that's what's the most special part about it, in my opinion -- everyone gets involved. And when I say everyone, I truly mean everyone. Blue & Gold is filled with dancers and actors to put on a great show, musicians to help mix our music, and artists to decorate our beautiful gym. It's filled with aspiring designers creating beautiful (and crafty) costumes for us to wear, innovative students to create props ranging from giant tanks to the DeLorean, and athletic guys and girls to help move those props. It's filled with proud parents eager to watch their children, friends and family coming to support those they love, and basically every teacher in the entire district. Everyone from the regular substitute teachers to the school superintendent shows up, and it's three days filled with the most amazing show I have ever seen. (Again, I'm a little bit biased here, but I've heard this from many other people as well.)

And in just a few short days from now, the next group of dancers will be putting on the next show, and I won't be part of it.

Which is why I wrote this article. As the next show comes up and I won't be one of the dancers waiting in the wings, it's safe to say that my heart is a little bit broken. For four entire years, I dedicated hours upon hours (upon hours) of my life to practicing and preparing for this show, and there are so many things about the experience that I miss. I miss after-school practices, the bleachers filled with backpacks and kicked-off shoes, while we all sat in a circle on the hardwood gym floor sipping our smoothies and French fries and whatever other snacks we managed to snag in the hour between the end of 9th period and the start of practice. I even miss those outdoor practices over February and Easter break, where you layered yourself in as many sweaters and sweatpants as you could physically put on, trying to dance while wearing Uggs and gloves and scarves and battling the freezing winds. (And yes, I even miss those practices inside the dark, chilly warehouse when it was raining or not nice enough to be outside, all crammed shoulder to shoulder and trying to dance without slamming into lawn equipment.)

I miss the events leading up to the show, such as the late-night practices and costume designing sessions, Sports Day (which was like a giant field day between Blue Team & Gold Team), the streamers, the balloons, the decorating, the face paint, the jerseys, the musical chairs and chicken baseball and pie eating contests...you name it, and I miss it all. Even the team-against-team drama and hysteria leading up to the night of the show. And coming to school with my hands tinted a sickly blue thanks to all of the tie dye we used to create spirit shirts.

One of the greatest experiences of my four years of high school was that show night each time, sitting backstage in a hallway crammed with hundreds of girls and guys hurriedly throwing on costumes, spraying hairspray, and braiding each other's hair in a complicated circle of teamwork. I miss sharing lipstick and body glitter and bobby pins with whoever was nearby, not necessarily someone you may have known all that well, simply because for the past three months you both worked tirelessly for this opening night, and damn it, you've earned the right to borrow a little bit of my lipstick.

Blue & Gold has taught me so much about cooperation and teamwork throughout the four years I was a part of it. It helped me become a better dancer, a better leader, and even a better friend. I have never been in such an amazing program before that, and I sometimes worry that I still never will. Each year of high school was spent counting down the days until practice started. And then after each year's closing night, we started up the countdown for the upcoming year's show. It was a cycle that I loved and thought would never stop -- but then it did, and now I'm here reflecting on all of the amazing and hectic and drama-filled memories that truly made my four years in my high school worthwhile. Blue & Gold helped me to become confident. It helped me find myself. And even though I have many accomplishments and achievements in my life, absolutely nothing brings me more pride than saying I was a part of that show. Not even writing my own book.

To the girls and guys stepping out onto the floor this weekend, I hope you cherish every last second. And especially to those seniors who can't believe that their last show has finally come, live in every single second of those three nights. Do not take a single moment for granted -- not even the moment when your tights rip before you're about to go on stage and you want to scream. Because before you know it, you'll be sitting in your dorm room watching the show unfold without you there. And you will miss it like you wouldn't believe.

If you read this entire article and have no idea what I am going on and on about, check out this video to watch some of my team's performance last year!