Dancing queen:
Poca student has an unusual hobby

By Katie Thaxton
Poca High School

Photo courtesy of ERIN CASTO/Poca Erin Casto (she’s second row, fourth from the left) pursues her love of traditional Mountain State dancing with the West Virginia Kickers, a clogging team. Casto is a junior at Poca High.

Some hobbies are more popular than others. Basketball, baseball, football and cheerleading seem to top the list of teens’ favorite pastimes.

But Erin Casto, a 17-year-old junior at Poca High School, strays from the norm when it comes to passing the time. She is a member of the West Virginia Kickers clogging team, and her hobby is one that not many people know about.

Although Casto stays busy by being an actress, singer and dancer, she says clogging is by far her favorite hobby. Here’s why.

Clogging is basically a melting pot of dances brought to the United States by people from other countries, such as Ireland and Holland. Native Americans and African-Americans also contributed to this form of dancing as it developed, making it a true representation of American culture. It is definitely a team sport, but unique in that each person has his or her own style and personal way of clogging.

Casto started clogging as soon as soon as she mastered walking, and has been a clogger for 14 years now. Her grandmother also clogs, and was actually the person who introduced her to the dance and encouraged her to join a team.

Casto and girls from all over the Kanawha Valley make up an advanced team of cloggers. The oldest is graduating from Marshall University this spring, while the youngest is a fifth-grader at Kenna Elementary School. Most of the girls, however, are high-school age.

Clogging has given her many new and exciting experiences, she said, especially with regard to the travels the team has made.

”I’ve learned so much about people from other parts of the region and other states. New experiences happen at every show or competition that we do, so we never know what to expect.”

And yes, although Gov. Bob Wise has a slightly different clogging style than the Kickers, the group has performed with him, most recently at his inauguration.

Casto said she enjoys clogging more every day. “I’ve never stopped learning and I don’t plan to,” she said. “The most important thing to me personally is the strange bond that my team members and I share, not because we can all clog, but that we are joined together making something work. It’s a great feeling knowing your team members are by your side.”

For information on the West Virginia Kickers, call Leslie-Haddad-Meadow at 344-5806.