Ohio Dance Machine Director Megan’s non-profit “Urban-Eco” allows students to really see the circle of life

Megan is Director of the Ohio Dance Machine, dancers for Major League Lacrosse's Ohio Machine

Her passion for dance evolved into Megan’s off-hours role, directing the Ohio Dance Machine, the sidelines dancers for the MLL’s Ohio Machine. Megan’s passion for education became her day job, high school science teacher. But a life changing trip to Kenya in 2012 created another new mission for Megan, to connect high school students to the experience of visiting Africa. The result is “Urban-Eco,” a non-profit organization that Megan created with two equally passionate teachers, which is allowing students and teachers to visit Kenya, to experience a global perspective on the issue of conservation.

As Megan explains, “I first visited Kenya in 2012 while working on my Master’s degree. From the moment I stepped off the plane I fell in love with the country and the people. It was everything, from working with the Kenya Wildlife Service scouts, researchers, to meeting David Western and hearing him speak about the development of Amboseli national park, tracking lion movement at four in the morning with his son David Western, and working with the Maasai tribes. The experience was life changing and decided I wanted to share this experience with others and change their lives, too.”

The conclusion of Megan’s trip was a safari with her twin sister Jenny, also a high school teacher, and two other classmates. “We became so enchanted by what we learned, that we talked about sharing this experience with our students,” Megan continued. “I am proud to say that less than six months later, with the help of my sister and another teacher, we co-founded the non-profit organization Urban-Eco.”

Columbus, Ohio native Megan's team plays its home games near Columbus in Delaware, Ohio

“Urban-Eco’s mission is to provide hands-on experiences that infuse scientific inquiry and cultural immersion with educational volunteer opportunities for teachers and students on a global stage and local stage, and develop sustainability and community based conservation in an urban setting,” shares Megan.

And in the short time since 2012, Megan’s organization is already accomplishing its exciting vision. “This past summer, two years after our first visit, Urban-Eco made the inaugural trip with seven students and four teachers to Kenya,” Megan recounts. “It was such a wonderful experience, for it wasn’t just their first time out of the country, but out of their city. Students learned so much from the trip and even designed and carried out their own research project while in country. It was amazing to see the students grow and change while we were there; students began to realize how much they take for granted, and that the end of the trip wasn’t the end of their journey, they wanted to share this experience with their friends and families when they returned home, and do so much more.”

Urban-Eco is moving forward, with goals of moving in more directions. “We are currently planning our next trip and would like to expand the program to other locations and incorporate mountain gorillas, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, working with the cheetah conservation fund, and even marine life in Cape Town. It takes about two years to help our student’s fundraise for the trip to Kenya, so we will offer small trips in the off years to allow for more opportunities for students to get involved.”

To find out more about Urban-Eco or get involved please check out their website, urban-eco.org or visit Urban-Eco on Facebook for regular updates. But Urban-Eco is just part of her purposeful life, and Megan was kind enough to share with UltimateCheerleaders the joys of dance, teaching, and being a twin.

With two older brothers, Megan was born in Columbus, Ohio, with a best friend born on the same day. “Some of my favorite childhood memories involve dancing and performing with my sister,” recalls Megan. “Having a twin sister is the best experience in the world; the fact that we both share a passion for dance makes life even better. For me, there’s nothing quite like when I’m dancing with my sister, it’s very harmonious and invigorating.”

Megan’s twin Jenny is also leading the way in pro dance, being the founder of the brand new Chicago Thunder Dance Team in the MSFL. “Aside from both loving dance, she and I share the same passion for education and teach at the high school level; her passion is business information and technology, and I teach my passion of life sciences,” Megan says.

Jenny is in Chicago now, a couple of states away from Ohio, which is a change for Megan. “My twin is my best friend; my support, my courage, and my sanity, and it’s hard going from seeing her almost every day of my life to just holidays and special occasions, when she moved away. It’s tough saying, ‘Hey I want to meet up and run some choreography by you’, when you’re six hours away. In spite of the distance, we are closer then ever; talking multiple times a day and it makes any opportunity to dance with her that more special.”

Family has played a big part for Megan, as her mom played a big part in both her vocation and avocation. “I started out dancing when I was very young, around three years old,” Megan remembered. “I have my mom to thank for dancing, she always made sure I had opportunities to try all sorts of things and decide which ones where for me. As I grew up, I tried all styles of dance: ballet, tap, jazz , and modern. When I was in high school, I learned pom and kick line styled dancing, and when I was in college, I added hip-hop and breakdancing to my repertoire.”

College was guided by Megan’s lifelong interests and her mom’s daily example. “Growing up I was always interested in the science professions, from veterinarian to aspiring to be the first women on Mars, but I always knew my profession would be in science,” Megan says. “I always enjoyed sharing what I learned with others, and helping others discover their passions, and what better way than to teach? I have both my parents to thank for their support over the years, and am proud to say I follow in the footsteps of my mother, as she too is an educator and has truly been an inspiration to me in and out of my classroom.”

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Farewell, Crewzers

Once upon a time, almost half of the teams in Major League Soccer had dance teams. I’m sad to report that we’ve lost one more. The Columbus Crew recently announced their decision to disband their dance team, the Crewzers. The Crew has made the following statement:

“Although the Crewzers have been a significant part of the Crew history and valued ambassadors for the team, we made the difficult decision to discontinue the program following the 2011 season. This decision was not made without thorough research with our fans and research provided by Major League Soccer. We clearly discovered that our fans were looking for a more authentic soccer experience at our games, and wanted to see scores from around the league, first-half highlights, and soccer-related content during halftime. Moving forward, we plan to create and deliver these authentic soccer elements.”

As with most “official statements” of this kind, there are a lot of words that don’t say much of anything. It certainly doesn’t explain the real reason why the Crewzers, who were independently funded and did not rely up the Crew for financial support, were let go. The dance team’s management and veteran members are greatly saddened by the decision.

There are only two dance teams remaining in the league, the Dynamo Girls from Houston, and the ChivaGirls from Chivas USA. (However, FC Dallas and New England Revolution do have non-dancing promo teams, the FC Dallas Girls, and the Rev Girls, respectively.)
Update: The San Jose Earthquakes also have a promo team, the Shaker Girls. (Thanks for the heads-up, Mia!)

A look back at the Crewzers in action

Columbus Crewzers Auditions

Columbus Crew set cheerleader auditions for Dec. 4-6 The Crew’s professional cheerleading and dance squad to hold tryouts at Crew Stadium’s Huntington Club

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The 2008 MLS Cup Champions, The Columbus Crew, will be holding auditions for women interested in performing for the Major League Soccer team’s paid, professional cheerleading and dance team, The Crewzers, December 4-6 at Crew Stadium’s Huntington Club starting at 5:00p.m. Monetary compensation and additional benefits are provided for full-time, full-season members of the team. Details will be provided at the first night of auditions.

Registration and the first round of clinics will be held December 4, the second clinic and semi-finals will be December 5, and the final auditions will be December 6. Attendance is mandatory at all clinics to be eligible for the final auditions. Registration for walk-ins will begin December 4 at 5:00 p.m.. Pre-registration, additional information and a full audition
schedule is available anytime online at www.thecrewzers.com.

The Crewzers perform during half-time at all Columbus Crew home games as well as performing sideline cheers throughout game time, pre-game Kicker Plaza routines and autograph appearances before and after the games. In addition to game commitments, the squad will participate in various community and charity events ranging from parades and grand openings of local stores to corporate sponsored functions.

Previous performances and special engagements have included the MLS All-Star Game and MLS Cup half-time shows in Washington, DC, Los Angeles and Chicago. The Columbus Crewzers have also been the featured performers with top recording artists including Saving Jane, Bowling for Soup, Ravin Simone, Paulina Rubio, O-Town, Jenna Handler, Everclear and Third Eye Blind. 2004 saw the Crewzers across international borders in Cozumel, Mexico for that season’s on location swimsuit calendar photoshoot.

To be eligible for the 2010 Season squad, girls must be 18 by August 31, 2010.

[The Crewzers]