The Silvertip has selected Varsity Dance accomplished captain and senior Linnea Bourne to be featured as Athlete of the Week. Bourne, who has been on varsity all four years, is an experienced dancer, earning rookie of the year in 9th grade and becoming co-captain in 11th grade. In the interview, Bourne shares what she enjoys about dance and how she balances being an athlete and AP student.
“I like the performance aspect of dance,” commented Bourne. “ I have been dancing for fifteen years — dancing when you’re younger, you don’t get the game aspect, but I like performing at football games and basketball games. I really like that about Mission Hills and that’s been really fun. Our coach is great and currently works with the college team, so we get that aspect of it as well.”
Bourne went on to share the difficult parts of being on the Varsity team and explained how the dancers are held to a high standard. Their routines must be concise and flawless, and their long practices consist of countless reps in order to perfect every detail.
“I feel like you have to clean up the dances a lot and you get really into the nitty gritty — and that just gets really hard and repetitive, and mentally challenging. I think it really pushes us.”
Balancing these lengthy practices and rigorous classes is a feat many have to perfect, and Bourne shared her experiences on being a student-athlete during the busy season.
“I am in APs, and I was in honors in earlier years. The balance is definitely hard, especially since our comp season is now, near the end of the year — so it’s when all of the tests are,” said Bourne. “For balance and time management, I really take my phone and put it in another room, so I can work.”
The overlap of dance competitions and AP season can be stressful, but Bourne faces it all with a smile on her face, as well as the support of her dance family. When spending so much time together, sports teams can quickly blossom into families, and Bourne appreciates the love and community shown by her teammates and coaches.
“I feel like everybody on the team I just consider family,” she commented. “And everybody that has graduated, too.”
After her own graduation this spring, Linnea Bourne will continue to shine her light as both a skillful dancer and kind-hearted person as she navigates the bright future she has ahead of her.
