Coach Kimberly Maljak and 草莓影视 dance team captains Katelyn Paulus BS 鈥�24 and fourth-year Jayla Sotelo co-authored an academic article for Strategies: A Journal for Physical and Sport Educators. Paulus and Sotelo were captains during the 2022鈥�23 and 2023鈥�24 academic years. In the summer of 2023, they and Coach Maljak created ways to keep the team conditioned and motivated leading up to their August pre-season camp.
The article, results from the success of those ideas and an effort to share them with other dance coaches. Maljak, Paulus, and Sotelo hope to motivate high school and college dance team student-athletes to physically prepare for camp independently. Additionally, their “Motivational Mondays” and weekly skill videos aim to build camaraderie during the offseason.
Coach Maljak said of Paulus and Sotelo, “Working with these two outstanding students outside of dance-related events was a pleasure. Their dance experience and research knowledge allowed them to contribute meaningful insight to this article.”
Paulus studied exercise science with a minor in psychology, and Sotelo is majoring in psychology. The dance team attended nationals for the first time in March, placing sixth in poms and eleventh in jazz.