Taryn Smith recently talked about her adventures with the Mary Lorraine Dance Center's competition team. She said her 10 years of dance training at MLDC taught her skills like discipline and coachability. “My goal isn’t to convince you to row across an ocean,” she told the dance team. “It is to demonstrate that you can do anything you want.”

Smith also has partnered with Girls on the Run, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young women through sports and mentorship. As an athlete, she said she’s seen firsthand the power of sports in shaping confidence and resilience.

“We are meant to be scared, we are meant to do things that are a little bit stressful because that is what pushes us to grow and be better.”