The Importance of Quality

I am technically writing this Friday morning, as Thursday turned out to be a MUCH longer day than I had anticipated. We had our first day of rehearsal for the upcoming dance recital. As I said, it was a long day - about 8 hours door to door. The girls did wonderful, as always, and even at 9:30pm Ava was still begging to stay just a little longer.

I was having a conversation with one or two of the moms last night that I remembered when I woke up this morning to discover the Spurs had lost the NBA finals. The Spurs are not a flashy or "sexy" team. They don't have players with national commercials or endorsement deals. They don't hold press conferences to announce what team they'll be playing for. Tim Duncan may be one of the most boring players to watch - you see the stats for his blocks, rebounds, and points, and don't remember half of it. The Spurs is a team of dedicated, hard working guys. But the fans may be the most special part of the team. Spurs fans are faithful in the worst of seasons as well as the best. They care as much for the calibur of the players' characters as their basketball abilities.

I say all this because I am proud to be part of our dance studio for much the same reason I am proud to be a Spurs fan. I will be totally honest: Ava could probably be a better dancer at a different studio. We see many studios at competitions and elsewhere with girls Ava's age turning and leaping in ways Ava's never thought of. (Not to completely undermine what Ava can do - she is a great dancer and has been taught a lot, but not as much as others.) What I love about Chris Collins Dance Studio is how Ava is growing as a person. I never worry about Ava dancing in a way that is age inappropriate. We all have made friends - my kids with the other dancers, Ben with many of the dads, and me with many moms and even a few of the teachers. Most importantly, my kids are not just being taught HOW to dance, but to LOVE dance. Many would criticize my lack of competitive spirit, but I have come to appreciate that there is more to life than being the best. The Spurs may have lost, and Ava may not be able to turn well, but I am happy with where I'm at and wouldn't change my allegiances for anything.

my beautiful ballerinas