Photo Courtesy of the Dino Dynamics
Taylor Loveland is returning to the helm for her second year as head coach as she leads the Dinos Dynamics into the busy winter season. On top of performances at home games, the team will be busy preparing for the upcoming region and state competitions.
While drill teams compete in the winter, preparations begin in the summer and continue through the school year. Loveland said that main focuses during this time have been endurance and strength training to prepare the Dynamics for a demanding year.
However, Loveland acknowledges that mental and emotional health is just as important as physical health. “One thing I am focusing on as a coach is spending more time on team motivation, team bonding and team journaling,” she explained. “In my opinion, it’s so important for my dancers’ mental health to have lots of team discussions, celebrate each other’s successes and set goals for each week.”
Team bonding is also an important part of the drill program both in and out of practices. “We spend the end of every Monday practice journaling as a team, as well as doing ‘Monday motivationals.’ I find that this helps with keeping everyone on the same page and focused on the week ahead,” Loveland said. “We also do one team bonding activity every week so that the girls have time to get to know each other outside of practice.”
Loveland said that these efforts are paying off as the Dynamics have worked well together this year, displaying commitment and hard work. This will only help the dancers as they enter the busy winter season and prepare for the region and state competitions.
“I have high expectations for this year’s team,” Loveland concluded. “They all work really well together, and they are all extremely hard workers who are committed to our team. Our goal is to up our performance energy and to build confidence.”