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Jamie Sentner's balancing act
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
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Jamie Sentner photo-illustration by John Cruz
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Jamie Sentner
Lakeview High junior Jamie Sentner has a busy schedule, but manages to excel at her many activities
By Tom Williams
Lakeview High junior Jamie Sentner isn’t one to sit it out. In addition to the three varsity sports in which she she competes, Sentner loves to dance and goes out of her way to find time for athletics and dance.
“That takes a lot of dedication,” basketball teammate Ali Gagne said. “I play multiple sports and it’s tough.”
Another teammate, Abby Dunn, said, “I’ve been to watch her in competitions and recitals, and she puts her whole heart out on the dance floor and the court.
“And it shows that she puts in a lot of hard work and she loves what she does,” Dunn said.
Sentner also plays volleyball in the fall and softball in the spring. But the sport she loves most takes up much of her time during the winter.
Asked which sport means the most to her, Sentner, who plays the post, said, “Basketball ... but dance doesn’t cancel out basketball.
“I don’t think I could ever quit either one of them.”
In addition to training at Jo-Marie’s School of Dance and Gymnastics in Cortland for recitals and competitions, Sentner occasionally dances in church.
Two days after the Bulldogs opened their season with a road victory in Campbell, Sentner, who attends the Cortland United Methodist Church, performed a liturgical dance with Lynn Hanna Rider to Amy Grant’s “Breath of Heaven” at Canfield United Methodist Church.
Rider, who grew up in Canfield, has worked with Sentner since the latter was in the third grade. Her goal is to have her group perform four-to-five times per year. Sentner is one of the few who started with the church program to remain with it.
“Usually we practice either during Sunday School or as soon as church ends,” Sentner said. “It’s only for a half an hour. It’s different because at dance it’s a lot more upbeat, there’s a lot more leaps and turns.
“[Liturgical dance is] more like expressing your faith,” Sentner said. “Some people sing, but that’s how I like to do it.”
Rider can appreciate Senter’s ability to excel at sports as well as dance. Her brother, Eric Hanna, played basketball for Canfield High then was a walk-on at Ohio State in the mid-’90s.
Most of Sentner’s dance training is at Jo-Marie’s center.
“Is Jamie unique? Absolutely,” said owner Jo-Marie Ferradino who adjusts her schedules to fit Sentner’s limited availability.
During basketball season when Lakeview mostly plays on Mondays and Thursdays, Wednesday is the busiest day for Sentner.
“She tries to do a schedule around me, she’s really nice about that,” said Sentner of Ferradino.
After school, she goes to the dance center at 4 p.m. for a 30-minute session, then reports to the high school for a two-hour basketball practice at 5 p.m.
When that ends, she’s off to the dance center and will practice there until about 10 p.m.
What about homework?
“That comes after [dance], I stay up late,” Sentner said. “Dance is really fun, it’s the thing that makes me happy. If I’m frustrated then I go there and I know it will pick me back up.”
Lakeview basketball coach Adam Lewis said, “She’s a great student, too.
“She’s busy — I was waiting for something to give with her, and it hasn’t,” Lewis said. “She’s good at balancing everything.”
Jazz and hip-hop are among her favorite styles.
“I’ve been doing jazz longer but I’m really into hip-hop now,” Sentner said.
In addition to competitions, Sentner enjoys dancing in benefits, including the Jan. 29 Dance for Others that will be at Packard Music Hall in Warren. Ferradino said the money raised from the program goes to area residents.
“All of the community studios come together and they raise money,” Sentner said. “It’s not an actual competition, but [the performers] bring their competition dances. The money from the pledges goes to someone in the community who’s having trouble.”
Sentner was 6 when took her first dance class. Softball and basketball soon followed.
Sentner credits her mother, Lucinda, for her dance gifts and her father, Robert, for her athletic skills.
“She was a majorette for Lakeview,” said Sentner who is a member of Lakeview’s danceline. “I like to sing but I didn’t have enough room to fit choir into my schedule.”
Robert Sentner was Champion High’s girls basketball coach until this season.
“He’s been coaching for an extremely long time,” Sentner said. “We played against them last year and the year before. It was fun.”
Asked to choose which is more stressful between basketball and dancing in front of strangers, Sentner said, “Dance probably doesn’t get as nerve-wracking.
“If I miss a foul shot, then it costs other people and they actually know that I messed up. With dancing, I can cover that up.
“I do get nervous, but once I start, like for competitions or in front of judges, it all just pours out. It’s fun for me.”