Dixon High School Has a New Sport

For the past two years, the girls of dance team have performed at rallies, during halftime at DHS basketball games and at the school’s theater. But come the fall semester, all students at the high school will have the opportunity to compete against other schools that offer competitive dance as a sport.

On Thursday, the unanimously approved competitive dance as a new team sport at Dixon High for the pilot period of a year. During the year, the Dixon High Dance team will be a year-round sport, under the auspices of Dixon High’s Athletic Department.

The board would need to decide if the team’s coaching position would be a paid or an unpaid position. Either way, the position would first be offered to a certificated employee before being offered to everyone else.

For current dance team Coach Penny Solano, her dance team and the parents who came to speak to the board Thursday, the declaration means that students will be dancing against the top dance teams that this region has to offer.

“We are all dedicated and excited to attend practice,” DHS sophomore Camarina Augusto told the board. “We would like to compete with other schools but cannot achieve the school until we are a sport. Students will have another positive way to be involved with the school while fulfilling their P.E. requirements.”  

Her father, Carlos Augusto, echoed his daughter’s sentiments and the rest of the dancers in front of the board.

“I think it would be a great opportunity for our students,” he told the board. “ If we can give them more options and alternatives to succeed in life, especially in something that they have a passion in, I think it’s very important that we offer that to our students. They really work hard. My daughter comes home tired… it’s a good thing. They look forward to going to practice.”

“I think it’s for the girls, they have committed themselves, they are incredible girls they are really talented and I just think they deserve this,” Solano told the board. “We have girls who can’t play basketball, can’t do a sport. To allow them to be a sport with something that they are so good at, I think they deserve that.”

The team would practice a minimum of five hours a week,  and during May Fair week will be practicing Mondays and Wednesdays, Solano said. Dance team positions would be open to everyone.

Board member Guy Garcia and board president Irina Okhremtchouk expressed that the dance team should have to take P.E courses alongside their involvement in the dance team, but voted for the declaration nonetheless.

The motion carried unanimously to the delight of the dancers.