Elementary students danced the night away at the first annual Daddy, Daughter and Other Cool Dudes Dance put on by the North Royalton High School softball team on Friday, November 22. The dance started as a fund-raiser for the team but turned into so much more – a memorable community event.
The ordinary middle school gym was transformed into a modern, glowing dance club with cool laser lights and rockin’ music. DJ Brent Schmidt and B Productions entertained the crowd and kept the party hopping. More than 400 attendees enjoyed the dance, which included pizza from Augie’s Pizza, a craft donated by middle school teacher Lisa Sprunger, and a souvenir cell phone photo.
The stylish dresses worn by the girls were accompanied by smiles throughout the night. The girls took to the dance floor and participated in a conga line, the chicken dance, and the limbo line dance. Then, the atmosphere changed to give the girls a chance to share a slow dance with their special guest. The dance created memories to last a lifetime.
“The dance was a great opportunity to hang out with my daughter and her friends and meet some of the other dads,” said Jim Davis. Jim’s daughter, Evie, is a second grader at Royal View Elementary. “The dance flyer was on our refrigerator for weeks and my daughter would often take it down and ask when the dance was…almost like the countdown to Christmas! The dance definitely met our expectations. The softball players that helped were great. They were very engaged and made sure the girls had fun. We will definitely attend next year.”
Head Coach Anna Koncius and Assistant Coach Karen Whitely will be taking the varsity softball team to play in the Grand Strand Tournament in North Myrtle Beach during spring break, and the dance helped raise funds for the trip. “I want to give the team the college experience of traveling for softball. It will help them grow as individuals and connect as a team,” said Koncius. “I am very appreciative of the support and help I received from the school and softball communities to put on the dance and for all of the positive feedback I received from the participants.”
The fun didn’t end with the dance; each guest was given a gift bag filled with goodies donated by Aspire Brands, Dairy Queen (Sprague & W 130 location), and Raising Canes to enjoy after the party. Some lucky winners went home with a Cleveland Browns basket, a Cleveland Indians basket, and North Royalton Bears softball baskets. Some of the Bear prizes included lunch with the team, pen pal with the players, throw out the first pitch at a home game, and honorary coach for a day.
The team is still coming together off the field to raise funds to help pay for the trip. If you would like to donate to the North Royalton High School Softball Team, checks may be made payable to NRHS Softball and mailed to North Royalton Middle School, c/o Anna Koncius, 14709 Ridge Road, North Royalton, OH 44133.
Submitted by Sheri Stafford