Speaker 1: 0:00

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Speaker 1: 0:41

Martha from the Bubble Lounge sent you. Welcome to the Bubble Lounge. I'm Martha Jackson, and this week I am welcoming the Highland Bells lieutenants on the show. I'm so excited to have this group of young ladies on the show because they are such an inspiration to so many young ladies in our neighborhood. My daughter was a belle as well, and it just was so amazing to see the transformation, the maturity, all the life lessons she learned time management, how to work as a team, the early mornings, what it takes to put into something and truly succeed and so I'm so happy to have these ladies on the show Ladies. Welcome to the show. Well, we have a full house today in the Bubble Lounge. Let's go around the table and introduce yourselves.

Speaker 3: 1:31

Hi I'm Elizabeth Slates. Hi, I'm Josie Borders.

Speaker 4: 1:35

Hi, I'm Sadie Baker.

Speaker 5: 1:37

Hi, I'm Ashley Mowen. Hi, I'm Dylan Roy.

Speaker 1: 1:40

Well, so it is so exciting to have you here. Thank you so much for coming, and I want to hear your story Like how did you know? When did you first know that you wanted to become a Highland Belle?

Speaker 2: 1:50

I think all of us grew up going to dance classes and we attended some of the local studios within our community and just being in that environment around people talking about bells and learning about bells and definitely attending the games and watching them. I think it just all became a dream for us to achieve and it's such a blessing that we get to be a part of the team now.

Speaker 1: 2:12

Well, I'm out on the field quite a bit and I see the little girls, just like they're just look at you with such admiration. I remember when my daughter was a bell, she said that was her favorite part of performing is just seeing the little girls in the stands, just like dressed in their bell costume, and just she, just it just melted her heart. She loved it. Well, let's talk about tryout week, because I know what it feels like from a mom's perspective and what it seemed like it felt like to my daughter when she tried out. But that's a pretty intense week, wouldn't you say. Tell me your experience with tryout week.

Speaker 3: 2:44

So tryouts they start the week we get back from Thanksgiving break and you have the whole week. You learn two dances each morning, and then we also try out with something called Miss High Kick, which is just a small routine of our kicking, and each freshman comes in and you get groups of four, I think, and there's about four judges as well, and they score you and I think there's like a baseline that you have to make, and then that night is when we figure out, and then, yeah, Well, it is definitely a long week.

Speaker 1: 3:22

I remember starting out feeling, okay, if this was meant to be, it will be, and then by Wednesday I was like, oh my gosh, you know it's just it's. It's pretty crazy out there. But let's talk about how you receive the news, because everyone kind of does it a little bit differently. You leave and then you get an email. Some people are in the parking lot, some people go home, like everyone does whatever makes sense for them. Walk me through your experiences.

Speaker 4: 3:48

So when you find out the news you are in your own personal space and that's obviously really exciting. And then you come back to the school and everybody's just erupting in like cheers and applause and it's so exciting and there's a lot of tears, but really happy tears, and you get to see the older girls that you've looked up to that are now your teammates and that's just really special. And also getting to welcome in all the new girls as an older girl is also really special to just see how they've grown.

Speaker 5: 4:15

One of my favorite traditions about trying out for Bells is if you are a new girl and you make the team you like the whole class that you tried out with you go and you go to IHOP after you try out and it's kind of a really good bonding moment for the girls that you just went through the whole tryout process with and I think that's one of the most fun parts and that was one of my favorite parts when I tried out.

Speaker 1: 4:39

Well, I think it's interesting that you spend your first semester, freshman year, taking a Bells class. Literally, you're learning about the history and all the different things. Tell us about the class.

Speaker 6: 4:50

Okay. So in Bells Prep what we do is we evaluate our palm dance, our jazz dance, and also we evaluate Ms High Kick and Ms Phillips. She also evaluates you on the skills that you use to try out for Bells. She also evaluates you on the skills that you use to try out for Bells, and this is really helpful because you kind of get to see, like, what skills are your strong skills and what skills you also need to work on, and so it's really helpful for all the Bell hopefuls going into tryouts knowing what they really need to focus on.

Speaker 2: 5:19

I also think it's really helpful that we have tryouts in the fall, because then in the spring we have off season and Ms Phillips and other teachers are just really able to prepare the new Bells to join the team, which is really important so that we can have a strong start in the next year.

Speaker 1: 5:36

Well, let's talk about your journey to become a lieutenant. What inspired you to want to be a leader of such a magnificent team, and what was that process like?

Speaker 2: 5:45

want to be a leader of such a magnificent team. And what was that process like, I think, for all of us? Just we love being a Bell so much and it's just such an amazing experience to be a lieutenant. And the process is definitely stressful, but it's very important to do what's best for you and not let other people's tryout process like impact your own.

Speaker 3: 6:03

And at the end, whenever like we all got lieutenant, lieutenant, it was just all worth it because we got to celebrate together and even though it was a little bit stressful, it was all worth it in the end um, I also think it's super important, like we all are doing this for the whole team and not just ourselves, like every decision we make, it's all for the better of the team, which is something that we've like learned and it's been a great experience.

Speaker 5: 6:26

It's all for the better of the team, which is something that we've like learned and it's been a great experience. Yeah, it's also a really rewarding experience, especially considering how tedious the trial process is, with the interview and all the routines that we have to try out with the girls that you know. Like we all got it together. It's such a rewarding experience and you become so close and it's also fun because, like you work on yourself to work on the team and that's definitely an eye-opening experience.

Speaker 6: 6:54

I also think there's something really cool about giving back to a team that has given you so much and taught you so much, and I never realized how much I would learn being a bell and carrying that on to being a lieutenant. I feel like I've just like grown so much as a person and I think all of these girls here have grown.

Speaker 2: 7:14

And I also think it's really amazing, like when our team members acknowledge, like if we're helping them or that we did a good job in practice one day, because it really just shows kind of the impact that we can have on them and how, as a team, we can grow together.

Speaker 4: 7:28

I think us five were really lucky because this is all our first year being lieutenants and so we really got to go into this year together and all of the challenges and all the things that we do, we do it together.

Speaker 1: 7:45

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Speaker 4: 9:19

I will have to try out again. I think that I'm obviously going to be really sad to leave my amazing seniors, but I'm really grateful that I get to go through this process again, because it really is rewarding. It's hard and it's tedious, but you get a lot out of it.

Speaker 1: 9:36

Well, it's not just about being a really good dancer, it's about being a true leader. And what is that like? You're being a leader amongst your peers, like your friends. How do you balance Because I'm sure sometimes you have to be a little bit hard on some of your friends that are on the team how do you balance that?

Speaker 4: 9:53

I think our peers really know and respect that we have a job to be a lieutenant, and so they know that when we give them feedback it's for their betterment and it's our role as lieutenants to give them the best feedback possible so we can make Bells the best it can be. So I think they really respect that and so we have a great boundary between us and our peers.

Speaker 5: 10:12

Yeah, and something that helps as a leader who has to give that feedback to one of your friends. I think all of that feedback comes out of a place from love and you want to see your teammates improve and you want to see them work hard. You know, taking that sacrifice to give that constructive criticism, to see the benefit of your friend is such a rewarding thing, especially in this position.

Speaker 2: 10:37

And I don't think any of us like have a mindset that we're like above or anything. We all have genuine relationships with everyone on our team and, like Ashley was saying, we truly want them to improve.

Speaker 1: 10:47

Well, let's talk about those early mornings. You guys literally get to school at 6 am. Right To start practice.

Speaker 6: 10:55

Yes, we get there every morning before 6.45 am Wow.

Speaker 1: 10:59

I mean, that's really early and you have to be on. Do you have a go-to mantra or a ritual? Anything that you do that gets yourself revved up and ready to go.

Speaker 6: 11:18

Something that me and Josie have done since our New Girl year is on Fridays. We drive together to the school and we always stop at Starbucks and Mustang Donuts, and we've started a thing called Donut Fridays, which is really fun on Bells, and I feel like that has definitely been one of our rituals.

Speaker 3: 11:26

Yes, we have like a shared playlist that we play every Friday morning on our way and she'll bring me Starbucks and we get donuts and it's super fun and it really gets us ready for the pep rally.

Speaker 1: 11:40

Okay, I love that. That sounds awesome. Well, let's talk about Friday nights. You're walking us through Friday, so what about when you're at the game and just being under the stadium lights? Is there anything? Do you get nervous? Are you just like pumped up? Does it fuel your fire?

Speaker 5: 11:59

Tell me about the Friday night, friday night, is such an amazing experience, especially as your first time as a bell and especially this year, first time as Lieutenant. It's been so great. But I think the whole team can say that it's just a euphoric experience. And it's so rewarding because you are dancing with the girls that you've worked so hard with, because our practices are they're long and we go through a lot of work throughout the week to get to this good performance. But it's a really team bonding experience in the stands, when we're doing our stand routines, on the field, when we're performing, and one of my favorite parts is definitely our entrance and our exit, because it feels so uniting as a team.

Speaker 2: 12:43

We also have little chants for each of our lieutenant groups and that's just really a moment where we get to spend some time with our group individually and just hang out with each other before we perform, and it's really sweet.

Speaker 1: 12:56

Can you talk to us about how the lieutenant groups are organized?

Speaker 2: 13:00

I think. Well, it's based on height and then there's about an even amount from each grade, but other than that, it's basically random and you have kind of funny names for each group, right? Yes, Walk us through that. So it goes with either your first or last name. So my squad name is Eliza's Elite.

Speaker 4: 13:19

My squad name is Josie's Jungle, mine is the Baker Bunch, mine is Maui's Monsters.

Speaker 6: 13:26

Mine is Dylan's Dogs.

Speaker 1: 13:27

Okay, this is hilarious. That is so fun. I love that you guys get to come up with those. Well, just tying in with Friday nights I still get asked this question to this day, and my daughter graduated two years ago. Nights I still get asked this question to this day, and my daughter graduated two years ago. You all have to try out every single week and some people do not make that dance right. They're not able to perform. So I mean, think about it. You guys try out every single week. What if football did that? I mean, buck Randall's not trying out every week, right? Can you even imagine that he's like sorry, you're not performing up to speed this week, so you're not playing Friday night, can?

Speaker 1: 14:01

you even imagine, but I mean it does happen. Everyone sits out at some point in time, because I remember them saying it's not if, but when. Just you know, embrace it, it happens. Tell us about that process.

Speaker 2: 14:14

I think our team does a really good job of keeping a positive attitude surrounding. If someone doesn't make a dance, it's not like a terrible thing and everyone has room to improve in every situation. And also I think that having tryouts every week is a big part of like making us grow as young women, and I think it's really great that we do it us grow as young women and I think it's really great that we do it.

Speaker 3: 14:42

It also shows just how hardworking every single person on our team is. Like every Monday that we have a trial, everyone comes in knowing and everyone always looks amazing. It's also something that's just like it really builds the team together and if you don't make a dance like no one gets down on it. Like it's something to grow from Right.

Speaker 5: 15:02

I also think that's something that makes our team so special, because the trial process to make the team is hard but in a way, being on the team is even more work. Ms Phillips, she always says like that's when the real work begins. So every week you're preparing for this tryout and I think it's really imperative to push the skill level for all the girls and it keeps our team getting better from the time that they tried out.

Speaker 1: 15:29

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Speaker 4: 16:50

I think definitely we can. We hit this little shoulder flip and then we look and see the crowd and it's just the most like electrifying moment because we can see the whole stadium is just filled and cheering and you can all tell they're so excited to watch. And it almost is like a blur because we're so excited and the crowd so excited and it's just magical.

Speaker 6: 17:12

Also, one of my favorite things is every Monday after the Friday night game, we always go back and watch our video, and this past week we were watching the video and you could just see little kids and parents like jumping up and down, dancing, and that was really special. And also, whenever we look up sometimes we can see Mrs Phillips like clapping and standing up and that's just such an amazing feeling.

Speaker 1: 17:33

Well, let's talk about competitions. Starting in the spring, you guys start prepping for your competitions and it's historically been in Orlando and a really big deal. You guys are always doing really well with it. Congratulations, by the way, that you won an extra large division with the crowd pleasers and Disney nationals. Right, Did I get that right? Yeah, so you guys always do really well at this competition. What's it like preparing for the competition?

Speaker 5: 18:05

Um, it is a very you know it's a long two months that we go through preparing for these competitions. But it's also kind of funny because a lot of the community thinks that we're done after football season of funny because a lot of the community thinks that we're done after football season, but so much of our work goes into contests Just getting started right.

Speaker 5: 18:23

Yes, and our dances are a lot harder in skill, so preparing for those competitions is definitely a repetitive process, but it's also just another one of those things on our team that unites us and bonds us together, because it's so rewarding.

Speaker 2: 18:39

And a lot of people don't even realize that we do have competition season, Like I've had multiple people ask me like what are you doing now? But we're still working so hard for competition season. So it's really fun that we get to perform at the basketball game so more people get to see us, and then at competitions like Disney and crowd pleasers there's a large audience. So it just makes it feel rewarding for all the work that we've done.

Speaker 3: 19:03

I also think like even though it's in the spring, like everyone is still very hardworking and it's like the last thing that the seniors will do, and so every time usually it's been our last dance is contemporary at Disney, and so it's usually really sad and emotional that day, but it's such a fun experience to get to leave on.

Speaker 1: 19:23

What is it like being on a competition floor versus being on the field? Just like the energy, the pressure, the adrenaline, all the things.

Speaker 4: 19:33

I think it's similar and different in the fact that there is this like pressure of oh I'm in front of judges, so we have to do our best, but it's also really awesome to feel like your team around you is like really wanting to succeed, and so that is really unifying and really fun to go out on the gym floor and perform.

Speaker 5: 19:52

Yeah, also, the field is a little bit harder to dance on as well, because it kind of absorbs your energy. So when we're out there and we're kicking, a lot of people don't know how exhausted we are, because every time you jump it's like your energy just goesed in different ways, and I think that is what makes both of them so equally fun. Yet different at the same time is you're pushing your stamina and your skill level in different ways each season.

Speaker 1: 20:24

Yeah, that's interesting. I would imagine the wood floor is a little easier to dance on, especially in those kids.

Speaker 7: 20:32

Yes.

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Speaker 1: 21:33

Martha from the Bubble Lounge sent you Well, so we were talking about early mornings a little while ago. Tell us, how do you manage waking up so early, balancing schoolwork and also having a social life?

Speaker 6: 21:46

I would say one of my favorite things about Bells is that it's in the morning, because it's just like the best way to start my day. I always tell everyone I'm like my favorite part of my day is Bells and just waking up with all of my best friends. It's amazing, and so I love that it's in the morning, so we have time after school to get our work done and also we can hang out with our friends on the weekends or also after the football games.

Speaker 2: 22:09

And I think just being a bell in general instills a lot of time management skills within you, because our directors are constantly trying to help us grow and the amount of practice we have we have to learn how to manage everything else. So just being a bell as a whole really helps us with our time management.

Speaker 3: 22:27

I also think on this team there is like more than 80 other girls with us, so like we build friends on the team and it's such an amazing thing, like one of our things is sisterhood, and it's just such a great bond.

Speaker 1: 22:43

Well, at some point in time, I'm sure the exhaustion does kick in. How do you handle that? Who is the teammate that sends you the most upbeat text? Or maybe they say in person and like, really hype you up and get you back on track.

Speaker 5: 22:58

Our whole team is really really good at just pumping up the energy and, you know, keeping each other in check and sending out reminders. I think the managers and the service officers are some of our two most important aspects of our team, because they really channel our energy really well and they keep the team in check and they keep us organized and we're just so grateful for them.

Speaker 2: 23:20

And a big thing that our team does. When practice gets hard or we're tired, we love to woo each other on and we say like let's go, bells and BKB, just try and hype everyone up during practice.

Speaker 4: 23:33

We're also super, super grateful for our directors, ms Phillips and Mrs Sanchez. They really keep our team running and they push us every single day. Sometimes practices can be tough and they're making us run it again, but they know it's for the betterment of our team and we know it too, and we're just so lucky to have them.

Speaker 1: 23:50

Well beyond the palms and the routines. We were talking about sisterhood. What does being a part of the Bellas sisterhood actually feel like? Sounds pretty amazing from what you guys are describing.

Speaker 4: 24:01

It's awesome because it's like having 87 best friends around you all the time. Whenever you pass them in the hallway, you always say hi. When you see them on the weekends, you give them a big hug and you say hi. It's really just so many amazing relationships that you can have all kinds of different relationships with individual people and they're just by your side no matter what, which is amazing, do you guys?

Speaker 1: 24:23

know every single person's name. Yes, of course I always feel for the directors, like they have 80 new people to learn every you know. Some of its overlap, of course, but I can't imagine keeping track of that many people's names. Well, as lieutenants, what sort of mark are you hoping to leave on the program and just what type of legacy do you hope to leave behind?

Speaker 2: 24:46

I hope that as a group the next group of lieutenants, of course Sadie will be there to help them but just being as prepared as possible and being a group of people that the team can really trust, and I hope that the whole team next year can be strong and the lieutenants specifically will just be a strong team that our team can trust.

Speaker 4: 25:09

I really hope that I can channel all the amazing qualities of these seniors and, like, take it with me next year, because each one of them are so special and have such great things that they add to the team. So I really hope that I can bring that next year, because I'm just really grateful for them.

Speaker 1: 25:25

Well, we talked about your team and there's a lot of people on there and I mean all of you come together and that's what makes this organization so wonderful. Is there anyone out there you want to give some shout outs to special recognition?

Speaker 5: 25:38

Just like I said previously, our managers and our service officers are such an important aspect to our team. Our managers do so much behind the scenes that no one really sees like organize our palms, our streamers. They organize our Gore-Texes, our competition bags. They do so much for us and our team truly would not run without them. And our service officers are so good at planning social events for our team and keeping the team with good energy and upholding our core covenants, which are sisterhood, commitment and integrity. So those two groups of people are definitely really important to our team.

Speaker 6: 26:18

I would also say our MOLTs, which is the mom of lieutenants.

Speaker 1: 26:23

I've never heard that term Say that one more time. The MOLTs.

Speaker 6: 26:26

Oh interesting. And they play such an important role on the team because obviously they're always caring for us and they're doing anything they can to help us. But they pack all of the snack bags each week and all the little gifts we give to our squads. So shout out to the Moults.

Speaker 1: 26:41

Y'all are amazing we love sharing funny stories on the Bubble Lounge, and so I have to ask do you guys have any funny stories Like has your music not started? Has it stopped in the middle of your routine, Anything like that?

Speaker 5: 26:55

That happens I don't want to say a lot, but it happens frequently where our music will glitch or cut out or it'll start at the wrong spot. But there was a time my sophomore year where we were performing at a pep rally. We were performing our field jazz, and our music just stopped, like at the end, and you just keep dancing. You can't just stop and look around and be, like what do I do, but there have been times.

Speaker 5: 27:24

I mean, I remember my freshman year. I was watching a Bell performance and the music goes out and the lieutenants will start counting and the directors are just counting out loud at the pep rally and you hear them. It's really funny.

Speaker 2: 27:35

Also in the one when we did field jazz, a lot of the student body started trying to count for us, and sometimes it's a little bit confusing since they're not quite sure the tempo to go on one of the most scariest but also funniest moments in my entire bell career, and also like our lieutenant career, was at our officer camp that we go to at the beginning of the summer.

Speaker 6: 27:57

We had an evaluation for our contemporary earlier quarantine I mean, and we had to wake up the next morning at 6 am and at 3 am the hotel alarm sirens went off and it was the fire alarm and we all shot out of bed and we were just running around the hotel trying to find the nearest exit and it was a very scary moment. But it ended up being a false alarm, thankfully, but that was definitely a bonding moment for us.

Speaker 1: 28:23

Oh my gosh, I bet you were like extra exhausted the next morning. Oh my goodness. Well, ladies, thank you so much for joining us today. I'm so happy to hear all the exciting behind the scenes stories because, like I said, even to this day, two years later, I get asked a lot of bell questions. So I feel like we've answered everything anyone could possibly want. What's some final advice you might have for parents that are listening whose daughters would like to try?

Speaker 5: 28:51

out. Definitely keep working, but also don't get down on yourself if things don't go your way or if you're having a rough practice, because especially in this tryout process and on bells, you're gonna have ups and downs, but that's all a part of the growth process. So definitely keeping in mind that your bumps in the roads are not your end of the road failures.

Speaker 2: 29:17

I also think your daughter will learn so much from being a Belle, so it's just a blessing that she's even interested in being a part of something so amazing.

Speaker 1: 29:27

That's great advice. Well, ladies, thank you so much. Go Scots. That's been another episode of the Bubble Lounge. I'm Martha Jackson and I'll see you next time.