Thank you to our sponsors

      The Aitkin All Starz returned to a nice crowd at the Aitkin High School Sunday after participating in the State Meet. Coach Colleen Christensen thanked everyone for their support and especially the parent's, "Thank you for raising such good kids, they were well behaved this weekend and did a great job on the floor." It was a great experience for the younger dancers and Christensen described the look when they first saw the Target Center floor, "I looked at their eyes and they were like saucers, they were very much in awe. Next year they won't have that look thanks to being there this year." Senior Hannah Jones made it short and sweet, "It was so much fun, so exciting to be there." Four members of the All Starz were selected to sing the National Anthem Saturday. They are pictured on the left. Evelyn Anderson, Kate Boyd, Ava Christensen and Hannah Jones.

      The Aitkin All Starz finished up their trip to the State Dance meet Saturday, dancing well, but not quite good enough to make the High Kick finals. That didn't dim the weekend for Coach Colleen Christensen, who was still fired up even after her team performance, "Our teams high kick performance at the State was nothing short of spectacular. The energy was electric, the kicks were powerful, and the movements were executed with precision. We couldn't be more proud of our dancers and their hard work throughout the season. Finishing 9th was about where we expected, though our goal was to advance to the finals. Regardless of the final placement, the team gave it their all and that's truly what matters. This season has been an incredible journey with some truly remarkable young athletes, and I am beyond grateful for every single moment. A huge thank you to the parents, fans and the entire community for their unwavering support. Of course, I want to extend my deepest appreciation to our coaching staff, this would not have been possible without their dedication and expertise. It's been an amazing season, and we can't wait to see what the future holds! Thank you all for being a part of this memorable ride!!

     The Aitkin All Starz left it all on the floor at the Target Center Friday but weren't able to make the Jazz Finals. Coach Colleen Christensen after her team's performance, "We're so thrilled to be here at the State Dance Tournament with the Aitkin Jazz team!! The energy has been incredible, and the team gave it their all, dancing from their heart. Although we didn't advance to the finals today, we're grateful for the experience and the special moments we've shared with the team. A huge thank you to all our fans and supporters, your dedication means the world to us. We're looking forward to tomorrow's High Kick event and are ready to bring more energy and passion to the floor."

     Here are tonight's finalists in performance order.

1) St. Cloud Cathedral

2) Zumbrota-Mazeppa

3) Crosby-Ironton

4) Yellow Medicine East

5) Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd

6) Holdingford

                                   (photo by Hannah Davis)

     "Belief" is quite a word. Many years ago, writing a column about the Aitkin All Starz I used the phrase, "If you can believe it, you can achieve it." It has stuck around all this time and is widely used. I have always believed that if you can dream it, you can achieve it as well and it may sound corny and it's mostly true. There are other components of course beyond just dreaming it, but if you are willing to do the work and make the commitment it's certainly a good possibility that you can make it happen. If you "truly" believe, you can write your own destiny and that my friends is what happened to our guest today. She is "truly" an inspiration to anyone who knows her story. She was born in the small town of Kyonggi-do just south of Seoul, South Korea. She picks it up from there, "I was adopted from South Korea in 1992. My family had tried adopting within the United States but did not find a good fit. They took a break until my older brothers insisted they start looking again. They then decided to look overseas and found me. I came to them on September 28th, 1992, when I was 7 months old. To say I feel fortunate is an understatement, I feel pretty darn lucky." Ladies and gentlemen, that young lady is Jenna (Kuiken) Snow and this is her story in her own words, fast forwarding of course.
      "It was one thing to try out for the All Starz dance team but it was an entirely different thing competing as a one-handed dancer. I would not have been so successful without an amazing support group that included my parents, Marion Cordie and Lisa Roth and the amazing close knit community of Aitkin. Growing up my parents always told you're not handicapped/disabled and you will do anything and everything better than your two older brothers that have both their hands. I was blessed with being guided by so many amazing people in the community that instilled that mindset in me as well. People like Sonja Hagestuen who taught me how to play piano at a young age using my prosthetic arm. My elementary gym teacher Mr. Werner, taking the time to break down every sport for me and modify it so I could play no matter what. And of course, my amazing dance coaches, Marion Cordie and Lisa Roth who took on the challenge of adding a one-handed dancer to their dance team. It wasn't until years later that I realized what Marion and Lisa did for me that helped me seamlessly blend in with my teammates through specific choreography and uniform choices. Each dance I competed in they made sure I could execute each movement safely and look unison with my teammates. I wore a special glove over my prosthetic that matched the gloves worn by the team and protected my teammates from the hard metal on my prosthetic arm. Marion and Lisa's choreography over the years did such a great job blending me into the teams choreography that it wasn't until my senior year at the State that a judge realized I was missing a hand and had watched me for years compete without realizing it. Marion and Lisa made sure that I felt very much a part of the dance team without ever making me feel handicapped or less than anyone else. It truly helped spark a confidence in me that I would never have gained without them. Some of my fondest memories of this team didn't always include winning medals but rather the moments I was able to bond with my teammates and coaches. Participating on the annual lock-in at the beginning of the season, taking dance lessons at Music General dance studio in Brainerd and working on choreography with the coaches as a choreographer and captain. The neat thing I got to experience was the high kick team placing 4th in my freshman year, 3rd as a sophomore, 2nd my junior year and finally 1st in  my senior year when we danced to Michael Jackson's Thriller. While we went to State every year with no guarantee of making finals or placing, it was neat to see the team improve year after year, placing better and better until we won the State my senior year. I think this truly showed that hard work, a great coaching staff and a very supporting community can take a team a long way. Wishing the current All Starz good luck at State and to remember the "why". Medals are great but the memories you make along the way and the teammates you bond with are what will shape you for life."

     That, of course is not the end of the story because you can "believe" no matter how old you are and how much you have already accomplished. Jenna decided to follow in the footsteps of her dad, Paul Kuiken and become a chiropractor. Can you imagine being a chiropractor and only having one hand, oh what challenges lay ahead for this young lady. She was basically turned away at every turn but Jenna was not going to let that stop her. She kicked down all the doors and didn't stop until she had become the only one-handed person to ever pass all the National chiropractic boards in history. There are other one-handed chiropractors in the United States but all have lost their hand after passing the boards. If that is not "truly" believing I don't know what else to say. Dr. Jenna (Kuiken) Snow now owns her own clinic, "The Spinery" in the Twin Cities. All Starz proud to be sure. Now young ladies on the All Starz 2025 team here is the message to you. You've done the work, some of you for the final time for Aitkin, don't miss a minute of the State this week and make memories for you and your parents and friends. Whether there is hardware at the end or not, it really doesn't matter does it. It's the end of the journey that started months ago when you made that commitment. Best of luck ladies!

       The Aitkin All Starz Dance Team has had a storied and successful history over the past forty years. Their first State hardware came in 2001 when they won the title in High Kick Precision. They followed that up with another Championship in High Kick in 2003 and another in 2004. There was a brief lull that ended in 2010 and started a run of titles not often seen in Minnesota history. They won the High Kick in 2010, then in 2012 they captured the first ever double dip. grabbing both the High Kick and the Jazz title in the same year. In 2014 they began a run of four straight titles in High Kick, adding another Jazz title in 2017 as well. They picked up more hardware with 3rd. place finishes in 2018 and 2019 and they are poised to make another run soon. When you total those Championships up it comes to nine High Kick State titles and two Jazz crowns. That’s impressive to say the least. There is no reason to think those totals won’t start adding up in the near future.