There was once a young girl named…Cindi. She was about to embark on the adventure called high school and she, like Martin Luther King, Jr. and ABBA, had a dream. A dream to be cool. How does one become cool in high school? That’s right, join the drill team.
Cindi knew that with her 3 years of clogging training as a child and a whole year of training in 9th grade dance class she was ready for the ultimate try out. Forget that she has never done the splits, didn’t know a pirouette from a plie and didn’t own a leotard. She could do step aerobics with great skill and coordination, only tripping over the bench once or twice. She signed up for auditions with hope and determination the likes no one had ever seen in her.
There was a week long camp of dance moves and rules. The young hopefuls were taught a simple dance for the try outs and the drill team members gladly helped their possible new sisters. Cindi practiced those moves in every spare moment she had. The one thing she knew was holding her back was her lack of flexibility and the perfect split. Lucky for her, her brother happened to be dating a dancer. She saw the grand potential his younger sister possessed (or the potential to earn brownie points with said brother, and probably his mom) and wanted to help. When Cindi wasn’t at the drill camp, she was in her front room practicing and stretching with her brother’s skilled girlfriend. She almost got a full split by the end of the week and she had the dance number perfect. She knew her dream would be fulfilled.
The day of the audition came, along with nerves and excitement. Cindi was armed with big hair, a (borrowed) leotard over spandex shorts with a thick belt going through the back of the leotard and cinching up in the front, creating the illusion of girlish curves (she was a bit of a late bloomer).
Her name was called.
She entered the dance studio with three other hopefuls. There she was, in the middle, the tallest and ‘biggest boned’ of the three, heart pounding in her chest and palms sweating. Someone started the music and everyone started twirling about, kicking and smiling big, except one. Cindi’s mind had drawn a complete blank. There she stood in the middle of the dance floor, laughing, not knowing what to do. The judges looked on as the dancers moved with grace around the proverbial and literal elephant in the room. The three minute song felt like an eternity for all present. Will the song ever end?
Thankfully, it did. The girls exited, two of them doing all they can to not look at the third who was hysterically giggling at her dream shattered on the dance floor.
While her dream of being cool never came to be, Cindi held her head high through the next three years while skipping math class and PE and, of course, making fun of the drill team and cheerleaders.
They rued the day they didn’t let Cindi and her array of flannel shirts join the in crowd!
Although I can’t relate with Cindi’s plight *ahem*, any of you have an embarrassing moment you care to share?
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10 comments:
I don't know what you mean by 'big boned.' I saw those high school pictures, you looked pretty tiny to me! (And you still look awesome, by the way) That was such an awesome story. Hmmm...anything involving any amount of physical coordination was cause for humiliation for me as a teen. In 7th grade I tried out for the school volleyball team, and because my sister was a volleyball star, I made it. That is the only reason. They probably thought since I was tall, I would be okay. I spent the entire season just standing there, while everyone would yell, "Hit the ball!" Yeah, that was my first and last attempt at sports.
I think any dreams of me being part of the popular crowd ended in grade school when all of my "popular" friends seemed to disappear. But ultimately I did not mind one bit and found my nitch quite well. I did a little bit of everything, band, drama, speech team...
The embarrassing moment that comes to mind is when I was trying out for a lead role in the spring musical. I am not a bad singer but probably not a solo singer. I practiced my part really hard and was pretty good at it. I was going to sing the audition song as second soprano. The girl before me auditioned and she sang the the soprano part. I tried to block it out, but all I could then hear was the melody, so I went out to try and sing second soprano and I lost it all.. couldn't remember the tune for the life of me. The director said, a little nervous huh? To which I agreed and left. I got a part in the chorus, but definitely never anything close to a lead in the musicals.
Where do I even begin? Let's see... I fell off the bus in sixth grade.I wore velcro sneakers in 8th grade and every said I didn't know how to tie my shoes. My dad walked me to the bus stop because they would harass me so much! I can still hear my field hockey coach screaming at me "Run, Hinsdale! Everyone else is finished and you still have 2 miles to go!" I went prom dress shopping with MY DAD..HUGE MISTAKE..I could go on, but I won't:) fabulous topic! Your blog has been so amazing lately..I don't know what your doing, but keep it up!
Wow, poor Cindi. Did I know her?!! That's hilarious. My embarrassing moments are WAY TOO embarrassing to ever tell anybody, but I tried out for dance company and when it was time to do the routine, I couldn't remember anything either! I tried to make it look good and just looked like a FOOL! Oh well, I think I would have had to spend time AT school if I would have made it, and that would have presented a problem!
Hmmm, I don't think I have EVER had an embarrassing moment...well ok the one I'm thinking of wasn't in high school though. How about when I got my calling as the music conductor in sacrament. I had never led music in my life, I hadn't had any music lessons and basically had no idea of what I was doing. The first couple of weeks I stood up there stiff as a board hoping everyone's eyes were on their books and not on me. One Sunday I was really struggling to lead the music and my beats were all off, after church I was talking to Arthur Floyd (he plays piano well enough to be a concert pianist) and I asked if he saw me leading. He chuckled a little and said "unfortunately" I think that was the day that sister Floyd started to give lessons on leading music at the beginning of relief society!
Wow, poor CIndy... I tried out for dance company in 8th grade-- I had that routine down. For some reason I froze during try outs. I wish I had giggled, or messed up at a "difficult" part or SOMETHING. I just stood there looking at the judges-- one of which was my social studies teacher. I'll say that again-- I just stood there. When it was over, I went to the locker room, faked a few smiles and then cried. I was so embarrassed and disappointed that I didn't even perform any part of the dance I had perfected. Ah well, better frozen at tryouts than making the team by some mistaken miracle and then freezing up at the Bobcat assembly, right?
Thanks Cindi for sharing something so close to your heart. My embarassing moments are deep within the wailing walls of the Great Wall around my pride. The one that seeped out as I read this happened when I was in grade school. The teacher had a long line of pupils asking her questions and I kept trying to butt in line to ask if I could use the restroom pass. The teacher kept putting me off to the point that my finite bladder could no longer expand to hold the urine in. Instead of running out of the room I stayed in line waiting for my turn...don't want to break the rules...when I finally made it to the front of the line I asked my teacher if she had noticed that I had done the splits in a puddle on my walk to school. No, hum, one might easily miss the signs! She didn't acknowledge my BIG FAT LIE and excused me to go home and change. I am the queen of making an embarassing moment even more embarassing by the brilliant way I handle the situations.
i think cindi is a genius for laughing during that situation. much better than tears or running away! when i was in high school, i was at an awards assembly (students, teachers, parents) and my name was called for a BIG AWARD. so i get up and start walking to the stage to get it and slip. not a skid, or a "whoa there!" but a catch some air, land totally boom! on the hiney complete with gasps from the audience. of course i was in a dress. i rub my bruised bottom, continue up to the stand then hurry back to my seat, begging my mom to leave so i can forget my public humiliation. of course, upon arriving home, the boy that i like calls my house to say his brother just told him all about my great fall! ack!!!! so much for forgetting about it and moving on with life...
I think my most embarrassing moment was last November... I had finally screwed up enough courage to go to a Relief Society dinner and was actually at a table with "Cindi" and a few other nice girls from the ward, when my rather large self flattened a clearly flimsy (steel) chair. I hastily made my exit.
I had another one like Amy's when I was in second grade - I had split my pants in the crotch and proceeded to try to convince everyone in class that my underwear were part of my pants.
Ah, that was kind of cathartic!
P.S. I love your blog! :)
I could write a book the size of Gone With the Wind on just my embarrassing moments...suffice it to say, my favorite involves the back of a truck, the police, and...I will tell you the next time I see you :) If it makes you feel better, I laughed my way through a McDonald's commercial tryout once...
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