Sore knees, sore ankles, sore hips and sore leg joints no more!
This past summer, a new dance floor was installed for the dance department, and dance majors have been raving every since.
Previously, the dance floor, which is located between the main gym and the recreational gym, was inch-thick plastic padding overtop concrete flooring, according to senior dance major Josh Landis. Other dance majors pointed out that jumping and landing on this old concrete floor got to be very painful.
“The old floor was causing our professors and instructors to hold us back technically because they worried about injuries,” junior Gwen Scott said.
Sophomore Evelyn McGee reiterated Scott’s point.
“Dancing on the floor we had prior to the new floor resulted in multiple injuries,” McGee said.
The new floor uses spring technology, which will allow for a more technical level of dancing, as well as fewer injuries.
The new floor consists of foam pads attached to the bottom of wood squares that are all connected together. On top of this is a hard plastic flooring material.
“The new floor gives way, so when we jump, the new floor will cause fewer injuries on our ankles, knees and hips,” senior Melissa Zacharias said.
According to the dancers, it did not taken long to uncover the advantages of the new floor.
“The difference of having a sprung floor can even be felt by simply walking across it,” senior Christine Underwood said. “After having a few days of classes, I can already notice a difference in the way my body feels. Yes, I am sore from class, but it is not a total body ache from hitting a floor that doesn’t give.”
Landis agreed.
“Though my body may ache from a full day of intense dancing, it no longer hurts from a hard floor,” he said.
Overall, there have been no complaints about the new sprung floor, only praise and hope for the future of the dance department.
“A sprung floor is one of the greatest investments this school has made, and as a result our program will grow,” McGee said.