By ASHLEY BAKER
Michael Chiniquy is a becoming a popular man at Pleasant Grove High School, and he's not on the football team or the basketball team.
He's on the ballroom dance team.
'Lately people have treated me with a lot of respect. Suddenly I'm popular,' Chiniquy said.
Actually, it's not anything the other members of the ballroom team aren't experiencing. Winning a national ballroom dance title does things for the popularity of a person.
'A lot of people come out and support the team. If they can't come to the competition, they support us in other ways,' Chiniquy said.
Seven area high schools will compete in the national high school championships at the Marriott Center this weekend. Participating high schools include Pleasant Grove, Alta, American Fork, Jordan, Mountain View, Provo and Timpview.
'We're kind of a minority. We tend to bond because no one else really understands the program and the talent it takes to succeed,' said Kindra Mosher, a senior at Pleasant Grove High School.
Working together has created a closeness among team members.
'You spend so much time here that team members become your closest friends,' said Laura Weeks, a sophomore at Pleasant Grove High School.
Being on the ballroom dance team is a different experience for guys than for girls.
'It's a much more natural thing for girls to be on the team,' Weeks said. 'But the guys aren't complaining. I think maybe other guys get jealous because the girls are constantly around the guys on the team.'
Chiniquy said he first became interested in ballroom dance when he saw it on television in junior high. He joined The Young Ballroom Theater team at the age of 14, and has been dancing ever since.
'Whenever we walk on to the dance floor the crowd is roaring, the music starts, your blood is pumping, and suddenly that's the only thing that matters. It's a real adrenaline rush,' Chiniquy said.
Running a high school ballroom dance program is expensive. Elaine Grenko, the director of the ballroom dance program at Pleasant Grove High School, said costumes are the biggest expense. Tail suits and gowns cost between $700 and $800 each. Music editing costs about $600 a year. To help the team prepare for nationals, Grenko brought in some professionals to help with choreography, which cost her $1500.
Pleasant Grove dominated last year's championships. They hope to repeat as national champions, but most of the seniors graduated last year, leaving a young team to carry the legacy.
The challenge has been good for the team.
'It's been tough for them because we have this big thing to live up to. They have become very close, really good friends. They become major players in each others lives,' Grenko said.