In high school, I was a part of the Dazzlers dance team. My teammates and I encountered a rhetorical interruption during my second year on the team. According to Arnett, Fritz, and Bell (2009), “rhetorical interruption is simply a communicative event that disrupts our sense of the routine” (p. 164). We were all used to our first coach, who was a bit of a pushover. Everything changed when our new coach stepped in and provided more structure and held us all accountable for our actions. Under this new leadership, we formed a stronger bond. My team and I were able to acknowledge the difference between the coaches, and realize that more discipline actually helped us excel more as a team.
“A community of memory is both a collection of the past and an engagement with the future” (Arnett, Fritz, & Bell, 2009, p. 147). As a result of spending so much time with these ladies at events and practices, there was a strong sense of family. I remember joining the team as a “rookie,” and being assigned a “big sister” who supported me throughout my time on the team. My big sister served as a mentor that I could reach out to if I had any questions or concerns.
We also had a tradition before our local dance competitions. We would all meet in the coach’s hotel room, put our phones in a box, and play Catch Phrase. This is something that I will never forget, which speaks to the power of this organization and its mission to promote the good of what it means to be a team. To this day, this team is still very much of a family to me. We have a Dazzlers Alumni group message on Facebook through which our coach is able to stay in contact with us, and provide words of encouragement.
Arnett, R. C., Fritz, J. M. H. & Bell, L. M. (2009). Communication ethics literacy: Dialogue and difference. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Tierra Thomas 