She’s dreaming of a nice get away to Vegas when she hears the piercing sound of her alarm going off. She sits up in bed, rubs her eyes and quickly glances at the clock to check the time. 6:20 a.m. Besides the fact it was early, she feels awful due to her cold. But senior Kylie Ballis wouldn’t let that get to her. Oh, today’s pep rally day! she thought excitedly before getting ready to leave for school.
After arriving at school, Ballis walks to the dance room, says hi to her friends, and gets ready for the pep rally. She’s a little nervous, but excited at the same time. After she’s ready, she has to learn the “Copperhead Dance” before heading into the competition gym.
Just like at any other pep rally, Ballis waits in victory lines along with the Royals, preparing for the moment they perform. Dressed in black pants and a light shirt feature a wolf’s head with piercing blue eyes, she dances with her teammates in the middle formation.
Afterwards, Ballis goes back to the dance room and switches into practice clothes for her first period dance class. The Royals practice on the band field for the night’s routine and it goes so well, they only rehearse once. Ballis is relieved she can go grab a bite to eat from the cafeteria because she hadn’t eaten earlier that morning.
As she eats her yogurt, the Royals meet with head director Amy McKee about the game later that night. McKee reminds them tonight’s show will be with the ‘Mini Royals and Guards,’ which are young girls and boys who want to be future Royals and Guards. After, the Royals exchanged gifts with their dance ‘sister.’ Ballis got a picture frame, some Reese’s and bubbles from sophomore Madeline Barnes.
Throughout the day, Ballis continues on as an average student. In her second period, she writes down vocabulary and watches a “really cool” video hosted by Bill Nye about Earth. For lunch, she snacks on some chips and cookies, because she’s not very hungry. Once school is out, she heads back to the dance room to get ready for the game.
“It was really hot in the dressing room,” Ballis said. “There’s a lot of girls, so it gets crowded easily.”
At 5:30 p.m., the Royals hop on buses to head to Bible Stadium. While the managers and guards set up their seats in the stands, Ballis and the Royals wait by the entrance for their Mini Royals. Once she had Emma and Riley Elrod, the three girls go to sit by the track and wait for victory lines.
Once the game starts, The Royals along with Ballis and her Minis, return to the stands to watch until the half.
Going into the half, the score is 10-7 and the Royals are pumped to rock the field. Before they can perform, they watched the Leander Blue Belles and the Leander band. It’s getting closer to time for Ballis to perform.
“I’m nervous,” Ballis said. “No matter how many times I do it, I’ll still be nervous.”
As Ballis stands at the sidelines waiting to strut on, she keeps her Minis by her side and helps to lead them onto the field. The performance altogether was remarkable.
“Dancing is an easy way to express myself,” Ballis said. “To be a part of a team where everyone is like a family. It just feels really good to be welcomed and supported.”
For the rest of the game, Ballis sits with the Royals in the stands, relieved that she can calm her nerves. Once the game ends with a final score of 24-13, the Royals are ready to call it a night. Ballis returns to the bus, tired as ever. After arriving back at Rouse around 10:30 p.m. Ballis is ready to head home. It had been an eventful night and she’s ready to sleep in her warm bed.
