Dance team coach wins state award

SANDPOINT — The word ‘classy’ popped up a few times as current Sandpoint High School dance team captain Laticia Lies spoke about head coach Cindy Smith, who last week was named the 2009 Idaho Dance Team Coach of the Year.

The word also pops up a lot during practices and performances, as Smith constantly instills in her team the need to be ‘classy young ladies,’ an expression Lies has heard many times as a member of the SHS dance team.

“She doesn’t just teach us how to dance, that comes second,” explains Lies, a senior who has danced under Smith’s tutelage since the seventh grade. “She teaches us to be classy young ladies; that sets her apart from other coaches.”

Smith, a former dancer for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and a coach at both the high school and college level, also practices what she preaches, opting to deflect the praise away from herself by insisting the award is mostly about her students.

The award is voted on by dance coaches from around the state, many of whom have taken notice as a team from such a small community consistently puts out a product on par with the best the state has to offer.

“They don’t see me, they see my students,” says Smith, who was also a dancer at Disneyland for eight years. “It’s my students; they’re a representation of me.”

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And a darn good one. Last year the Bulldogs took first place in every division at a competition in Potlach, placed second overall at state, and finished second at an officers competition in California. They’ve won numerous state titles under Smith, who has stewarded the successful program since 2002.

While the leg kicks, choreography and routines are first rate, so too is what goes on behind the scenes. Smith insists her students excel in the class room as well, a pre-requisite for being on the team. Last year the Bulldogs boasted a robust 3.6 cumulative team GPA, winning the state scholastic team award yet again.

Smith, who owns Athlete’s Choice in Sandpoint, clearly has a passion for dancing, drawn to the ability to express oneself through an art form and the chance to mold young women.

“I get to work with amazing students every day,” said Smith of what she loves most about coaching. “Watching them grow and take what you give them and make it their own.”

Lies said Smith balances having fun with the work required to get the job done, once again uttering that familiar word.

“She wants class; that’s what we work for,” said Lies. “At different camps we go to the coaches always tell us how classy we are, so she’s obviously done a good job.”