Hannah Hoffmann

Junior Donte Hopkins and freshman Spencer Wells take each other on in a quick game of Dance Dance Revolution.

Every Thursday, if you can manage to weave your way through the chaos of the sports teams in the halls underneath the gym, you may notice bold flashes of colored lights accompanied by fast-paced music coming from the corner of the cardio room. Welcome to the DDR Club.

The DDR, or Dance Dance Revolution, system has been in the cardio room for what most would describe as “forever.” However, it was only this past school year that the dancing game started seeing active use when junior Donte Hopkins approached PE Teacher Tim Corteville about making a club centered around the game.

“I wanted to show others how fun and beneficial Dance Dance Revolution could be,” Hopkins said. “At a typical meeting sometimes people stretch, we sign in, have a chat, greet each other if we haven’t met or if it has been a while and get to it.”

The club typically sees 7-10 attendees per meeting and has remained static since the club’s genesis..

“There haven’t been any new members since last year, although many have said they’ll attend when they have the time,” Hopkins said.

To members, the club is an opportunity for  fast-paced entertainment.

“I joined because of the fact that it just seemed like a good time with friends! Everyone a part of DDR club is a blast, and I wanted to be a part of the action,” freshman and club member Alex Volz said.

With a relaxed club structure that allows members to come and go, new members are always welcome.

“It’s very fun to get better at moving around the dance pad and get better at processing what’s on screen as you move around,” freshman Spencer Wells said. “The feeling of accomplishment when you finish a song that you’ve been having trouble with for a while is amazing. More people should join in on the fun.”

The game also has physical benefits as well.

“If you’re looking at it from a health or skill related standpoint, there’s the feet movement, the coordination and the rhythm that’s involved; there’s a lot of really good things physically,” Corteville said, club sponsor.

Corteville believes the club would have never made it far without Hopkins’ leadership.

“He has shown the interest, he courageously came and asked for help, he went to the athletic department and asked us how we could get started, he filled out the paperwork, he puts the club in the weekly announcements and he has made all of the signs that you see around the school,” Corteville said. “While I’ve given a little of my time, he’s really the one who’s gotten it going.”

Now with the club actively hosting meetings every Thursday, Hopkins encourages everyone to give the game a try.

“To those who might think the club is a little odd, yeah, it is,” Hopkins said. “You don’t really hear about people starting clubs for video games at their high school. But being different is a good thing, it shouldn’t stop you from doing something or associating with somebody because it isn’t your idea of ‘norm.’ If you have an idea for a club then act, you never know who else might like it.”