Sprinting down the field I use all the strength I have left in the last 5 minutes of the game, we are tied 2-2 and i receive the ball in the center of the field, on back is the other team fighting with all their might trying to win the game, I do a pull back and open up to the goal, I instantly have a flashback of dance class when I was 5 “step ball kick, step ball kick, twirl, step ball kick” replays in my mind over and over, I think back to one of my first dance recitals when it was just my mom and I backstage, she puts on my make up. Lipstick is smeared on my lips like a freshly dipped paint brush on a blank canvas, eye shadow is lightly brushed over my eye tickling my eye lid, mascara is brushed up my eyelashes and my mom just looks at me, sad but happy thinking to my self I could tell by her stare that she is realizing I am not a baby anymore, looking in the mirror I see the bright red lips and my dark long eyelashes with bronze eyeshadow, I look back at my mom and say “I look like a 20 year old” and struck a sassy pose, she giggles as she kneels down and grabs my arms; “no matter what happens I am so proud of you, just go out there and have fun” she kisses my forehead and leaves me with the loving advice. right before she walks out the door I run over to the girls in my dance class she hesitantly looks back at me as she walks out the door, giving me the look making sure I was ok, I shoot her back a huge smile and pig thumbs up, she smiles and walks to meet my dad in the audience. Nervously our teacher gathers up all the girls in my class, “you guys can do this, you all worked very hard in class and practice and im proud and excited for each one of you, go out there and show the crowd what you got” we all got excited as we lined up to enter the stage, the lights dim down and the curtain closes “please welcome mrs. petersons 5 year old dance class” we run on stage in our poofy glittery costumes, we get in formation and the curtains open, the lights blast on like lighting had just hit, then my smile drops and wave of nervousness covers my body, I panicaly look around with a blank stare and the music starts, the audience stares at us with smiles and we look around confusingly, I did not remember what to do next, I was so disappointed and lost thinking how could I forget such a simple routine? I went over it hours on end each week and 3 nights of practice as a class, I focused all my energy on the routine. looking off stage to my teacher as she is frantically trying to do the routine to remind us but somehow all 9 of us forgot, 3 girls were crying and others were laughing and just standing there, I try to find my parents in the crowd but I couldn't, I had never felt so lost I just think of dance and what my moms advice was “just have fun” thinking what we do in dance to have fun, I remember the most fun we have is during free time in dance so I whisper around as the music is still playing and we all start dancing to our hearts desire, the audience was giggling and we were all having a blast I know my teachers were relieved, though its not our routine its still was fun and the audience loved watching us having fun and dancing, the music stopped and the crowd roared with hoots and hollers whistles and claps, it was a great feeling to have fun doing something you enjoy, but I still could not shake off my disappointment of forgetting, as soon as I was walking off the stage the routine slowly crept its way back in my brain. thinking back now I realize why I did not continue dance because I lose the routine I forget the memory of the steps no matter how many times we go over it I end up forgetting it, just like taking a test I could know the information like the back of my hand but still draw a blank as soon as the test is laid down in front of me, I learned from this experience that I work best under pressure and make great last minute decisions like in a soccer game. you receive the ball and have a matter of milliseconds to make a decision because another player will be trying to get the ball from you and win the game. routine is just not for me, in practice you learn so many different skills and plays, so you can make that last minute smart decision but you also have so many options and opportunities, there are endless possibilities that could happen during a game, but in a recital you go in already knowing what's going to happen, if you are the type of person who loves planning and sticking to a routine you would be an amazing dancer, but that is not me I thrive on pressure I love playing soccer so much not just because your team becomes your second family but because of the mystery and endless possibilities that can happen, if it wasn't for that dance recital I would not know today that I do my best work not by practicing over and over again and forgetting the routine under pressure but by making last minute decision and playing smart to win the game.