Competitive dancing is a vagarious sport. The truth about being a competitive dancer is more than the beauty of the sport.

All of these visualizations come right as you are about to go on stage. As your heart is beating intensely. You get all of your thoughts together as you proceed to go on stage. As the powerful bright lights are shinning on your face, you give this dance all you have to offer.

As you end your dance and come off stage, all these emotions run through your mind. Did I do everything right? Why don’t I look like a skinny dancer? All you can hear is your team mates not happy about the performance you just did.

All you can think of is all the time and energy you have put into perfecting your skills. All the times you have beat yourself up to become better, more flexible, more graceful, more energized and, more technique oriented. The amount of times you have cried to yourself why am I not good enough to my teammates? Why do the judges not see my motivation and passion for this sport? Why do I let these people define me? Why do I develop depression from this sport? Why do I see myself falling apart after every competition I attend? Why am I not one of the favorites? Why do I push myself to the point where I am not hungry anymore? Why do I let this effect my school work? Why do I see myself changing into this depressed, anxious person?

All of these emotions come into play as your evaluating your reason on why you put yourself through this pain. Dancing on stage with a dozen other people but you have not felt more alone in your whole life. Dancing is your passion, the reason you're alive today. Without this sport in your life you would not be who you are today. No matter the competitiveness of this sport you suddenly realize why you do this in the first place. The love and passion it brings you. The amount of comfort it gives you when you’re feeling lost in this big world. Never give up on your passions, your dreams and your goals in life. Dancing is what makes you such a special person. The first time experiencing passion, love, and failure is such a critical time in a person’s life. Taking the time to finally realize all of the greatest effects this sport has given you. You finally realize after dancing for years of your life that it is not about the win. It matters about your passion and love for the sport and your gratification to succeed.

As you stand alone in a big auditorium and slowly pick up all your belongings and never look back.