For new dance coach Amber Sones, the high school gym feels like coming home. The searching process for a replacement coach was going slow and it seemed like the dance team wouldn’t have one for the next season. After around three months, Sones stepped up for the job.

“I decided to coach because I know what it feels like to have that feeling of not having a dance team anymore, and I didn’t want these girls to feel abandoned. I wanted to let them know that they will always have someone to help them and support them and have their backs,” said Sones.

Being an alumni had positive effects when it comes to being a new coach. Sones had many coaches in high school and in college, having plenty of examples to pull from for her first year of coaching. 

“Our dance team in high school also had multiple coaches throughout the years and I’m trying to bring in the aspects that my old coaches taught us into our team. I want to also improve on certain things and aspects for the following years, and we can work on basic fundamentals,” said Sones.

Sones, being so young, feels the team relates to her more while also respecting her. 

“Being so young, and only being out of high school for a couple years, I feel like the girls respect me enough to where I can get along with them and get along with them on a younger level. Them knowing that I was on a dance team for four years, and then went to college on a dance scholarship, they understand that I have plenty of years of dance under me that they respect me and what I do. I think being closer to their age makes us closer as a team” said Sones.

The week before school started, Sones gave birth to her first child. Some would see that as causing a problem with performances so close and the coach needing time to recover, but the dance team rallied together and supported their coach. 

“I balance being a coach and a new mom with help from my friends and family. Also, time management plays a huge part, but the girls are really cooperative and understand if I can’t miss practice, or need someone to watch him. The parents are also willing to help if I need someone to watch him.”