By The Girl with the Tree Tattoo

This season of “Dancing with the Stars,” the ABC network show decided to do things a little differently. Season 26 is only four weeks long and every celebrity cast member is a professional athlete. From Olympic figure skaters to professional football players to a towering basketball legend, these stars have made a name for themselves in their own sports and now compete for a mirrorball trophy. 

During the last 25 seasons of the show, 10 athletes have gone home with that shiny prize. It seems like being an athlete has an advantage! Watching this season of all athletes, I couldn’t help but notice that having an athletic background can come with some disadvantages too.

The most obvious pro to being an athlete on “Dancing with the Stars” is the physical fitness. Athletes typically have more strength and endurance than the other contestants. We know how much energy that 1 to 1 1/2 minutes of dancing requires! If you lose steam halfway through, you lose.

Ironically, an athlete’s physicality can also work against them. Many of the athletes who come on the show are not accustomed to shaking their hips like we do in the ballroom. They’re stiff in their movements and are used to being hunched forward rather than standing tall. I heard a number of athletes this season be cautioned about “throwing” their arms instead of guiding or flowing them through a styling movement. Where most sports are about the end result, dance is about the journey.

Athletes (with the exception of the figure skaters and ice dancers) also aren’t used to having to bring an emotional aspect to competition. Dance is a sport, but it’s also an art. The musicality and emotional expression are just as important as the physical steps and technique. Frequently, you see an athlete come out and either have a smile pasted on their face that doesn’t change or they barely crack a smile because they’re so focused. I can completely relate to them here. Expression is hard!

If the athlete contestants need to learn something new or different though, you can bet they have the discipline to get it done. They didn’t reach the professional level on hopes and dreams; they got there with hard work and discipline. So spending hours a day training is familiar territory. 

With that familiar territory comes a bit of an ego. These athletes aren’t used to feeling like beginners, and for those coming into the ballroom as champions in their own fields, they aren’t used to getting scores lower than 10. If they can’t keep their egos in check, they won’t be able to stay open to learn and grow as dancers.

But if the ego behaves, it can help drive their competitive spirit. You’re not going to win the trophy if you don’t want it badly enough. Athletes also have the mental training to embrace new challenges with enthusiasm and determination. Quickstep, jive, Viennese waltz? Bring it on!

So which athlete are you rooting for this season?