For years, athletes have turned to dance to help them with their footwork. NFL Hall of Famers Lynn Swan and Herschel Walker took ballet classes decades ago.
Arizona softball junior Tamara Statman firmly believes dancing has helped her on the field. But unlike the NFL players, Statman didn’t turn to ballet. Instead, the Wildcats’ designated player picked up swing dancing.
Statman said she’s always been interested in dance, but was too busy with softball. That changed shortly before starting at the University of Arizona. The Phoenix native went to local dance classes and tried out salsa and East Coast Swing.
“When I came to UA, there was a group called SwingCats, which used to do East Coast and West Coast,” Statman said. “Now they mostly do East Coast, and I went to East Coast thinking it was West Coast and it was different and I just kept going.”
Statman has continued swing dancing and even competes during the offseason. According to the World Swing Dance Council, her last competition was at the Palm Springs New Years Swing Dance Classic in January and finished third.
Statman said she enjoys swing dance because it’s a partnered dance and use contemporary music.
“So, it’s not like you’re at a party and you’re going to bump and grind,” Statman said. “You’re facing the person, you’re dancing to the music and having fun with it and interpreting it.”
Arizona coach Mike Candrea said he’s not entirely sure he could measure how much swing dancing has helped Statman’s performance on the field, but it hasn’t hurt.
“I don’t how much of a carry over there is, but I’m sure there’s a bit of agility that comes into play,” Candrea said. “(Agility is) not her biggest strength, but who knows. It keeps her loose.”
Statman also serves on the Tucson Swing Dance Club as the publicity director and said she enjoys going out into the community and meeting people from all over Tucson.
The junior is also part of the Arizona Allegiance Honorary, Philanthrocats and KAMP Student Radio.
“It’s really kind of shaped my network and who I’ve met,” Statman said. “I’ve met so many people through all the different activities that I’ve done.”
Statman, who’s majoring in political science with minors in sports management communication and pre-law thematic, also knows how to speak Spanish and is working on learning Hebrew. So far, she can say “my hat is blue.”
She will also be interning for Nike in Portland in their grassroots division as a branding specialist.
Learning a third language, swing dancing, taking part in school clubs and playing for the Arizona softball team may seem like a lot, especially for a student athlete, but Statman said she knew she would kick herself if she didn’t try it because “you never know what you’re going to like.”
She’s able to keep up with everything because she knows how to prioritize and when to focus on one activity over another. She picks the activity that means the most at that point in time, Statman said.
Still, academics and softball will always be her top two priorities. But there’s no harm in trying out new things.
“I’m still finding myself, because I don’t know exactly what I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life,” Statman said.
“I used to be that kid that would run around telling everyone I was going to be president of the United States.”
Candrea said Statman has always been a well-rounded young lady, even from the time when she would mail him letters as the next president.
“(She’s) definitely not a kid that’s lacking confidence,” Candrea said. “She’s just a very well-rounded person and enjoys life and enjoys being around people. She’s highly involved in everything in the athletic department, and I think it’s wonderful.”
