Hi my name is Jordan McAndrews, I am 15 years old and starting my sophomore year at Sage Creek High School! I have been dancing since I was 4 years old. I started, due to my heritage of being Irish, with Irish dance. Irish dance is a mix of tap and ballet, it has soft shoe and hard shoe (hard shoe was my favorite). I chose to stay with this type of dance for a long time. Along with that I was taking some hip hop classes! Hip Hop was a release from the uptight irish dance classes, I always looked forward to hip hop! As I grew I went to a lot of other style of dance classes and did camps over the summer as well. Then in Middle school I was in intermediate dance at school. We had performances at out school as well as performing in the Lancer Dancer showcase (Carlsbad High School's dance team showcase). At the end of the year we would go to Disneyland as a team and take a masterclass with someone who has worked as a dancer either for Disney or tours with famous singers. Now I am happily at Sage Creek High School and on their Dance Company!
I am so luck to have such an amazing family who have supported me and loved me through all these years! My mom, dad, and sister have always been there for me no matter what. We love to travel and create new adventures all around the world!
My sister just graduated High school and is attending Chico State University! She has been my best friend and partner in everything since the beginning! She has always been there to help me study for those big tests and make me laugh when I'm sad or upset. She is truly my best friend!
Then there is my dad, he is a total goofball who loves to make me laugh and help me succeed in everything I do. My dad is a Captain in the Navy and a doctor, more specifically a pharmacist. He has always wanted to help people, so that's what he does everyday. He has always been there to drive me to every practice or event I have had. Along with that he always has the worst dad jokes to share with my sister and I. My dad keeps my family laughing no matter what!
Lastly there is my mom! She is the one who has always been there for me. She has helped me to find the sports I love and my love for dance. Without my mom there is no way I would be where I am today! She helps me in everything I do and supports me no matter what! She has been a teacher for 30 years and has taught everything from preschool to college level. She has also worked for AVID and now helps student teachers become teachers. She also finds a way in her busy schedule to make sure I get my homework done and that there is dinner ready every night!
Then there are my 2 closest friends who have been with my since Kindergarten, Ava and Marshall! We have always been there for each other since day one! They have always come to my dance shows and been there for me whenever I need them! we love to get together and have scary movie nights and make breakfast in the morning! Or just hanging at each other's houses and talking for hours! Whatever it is we are always laughing or enjoying each others company. They have supported me through everything, whether it was horse shows, dance performances, or getting my blackbelt! I know I can always count on them no matter what! We are our own little family, even though they go to the rival high school Carlsbad High School!
Then there is my karate family! Without them getting my black belt would have been much harder than it was! I have done karate since I was 4 years old. I have trained and trained and made so many good friends along the way. Karate has always been apart of me and my sister! We have grown up doing it so we have always loved it. The people that we have trained with have also created a little family. My teacher is like a second dad at the studio that is there for me if I need anything. My friends at the studio have made training go from hard to fun. Karate has taught me many things through tournaments and testing and it is that I am strong and powerful.
Then there is my seasonal field hockey team. I started this sport training with Olympic referees but then when I got to high school I joined the team. Our team is small and young and the program is not developed yet but we still had fun. Truly I joined this team so I could spend more time with my sister. We were really the only girls there who have had actual training, so together we got to teach the other girls how to play. The girls on the team were there to play and have fun even though we didn't win often! As a team we had ups and downs but being on this team taught me how to work with other people. Even though we lost more than half our games we all still went out and gave it our all and still partied after the game because we celebrated our win as a team working and improving every game. One day that program will be fully developed and as a team we can look back and remember that we helped to created that program.
Along with dance I have been a horseback rider since I was 3 years old. When I wasn't dancing, you would most likely find me near a horse! Horseback riding was something I would always look forward to doing on the weekends. I would go out to the barn and I would have my lesson and then bareback around the barn for hours! You know how people say dog is man's best friend, well horses were my best friend since I knew what they were! I had my favorite horse named Karl Malone, who I rode for probably 4 to 5 years. He was a special horse, he was just a sweetheart and always ready to work in our lesson!
Then there are the newest editions to my family, my two little australian labradoodle puppies! The one on the left is my sisters dog and she loved to kill a mockingbird so much that she named him Atticus Finch! The there is the one on the right and he is my dog named Kenai which in Native American means little black bear. They are a handful more than half the time but I absolutely love them with all my heart! They are adorable bundles of energy! They love to run around the backyard and explore new places!