Mercer sophomore co-captains the dance team
Image: Jen Jones
The Mercer Dance Team performs at a football game.
It’s only Mia Spinola’s second year at Mercer, but she is already a co-captain of the Bears’ dance team.
Spinola loved dancing when she joined the team during her freshman year. However, she never realized how much she would end up loving her teammates.
“I truly love to dance and the fact that I get to do it with 16 of my closest people makes it even better,” Spinola said. “My love for both pushed me to want to become more than just one of their teammates. I wanted to be someone who could lead them not only in practice or at games, but in life, too.”
Spinola shares her captaincy with senior Jaycie Rollins, who she said helped her grow. She also credited her captaincy for teaching her more about herself, because of the opportunities the dance team gave her to grow as a person.
“I’ve learned so much about myself over the past year being a part of this team, and I am truly grateful for this opportunity,” she said. “This is only my second year on the team, so I am still growing and learning, but it is awesome that my teammates believe in me so I could be in this position.”
Spinola described the team as a family and a group that always has fun together. While there were many unforgettable memories during the season, going with the women’s basketball team to Iowa last semester was unique.
“It was truly an unforgettable experience dancing in an arena with 15,000 screaming Hawkeye fans. Even though we lost that game, it was an awesome experience for everyone who went,” Spinola said.
Spinola plans to dance for the remainder of the football season and the basketball season, for both the men’s and women’s teams.
“It can get a little crazy with the schedule, but I’m always happy to be there,” Spinola said.
Mandi DeLong is a junior English major and double minor in journalism and film studies. This is her third year writing for The Cluster, and she...
Jen Jones is a junior and majors in sports marketing and analytics with a minor in journalism. She has worked on The Cluster staff for two years and was...
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