BILLINGS - "I think I'm the oldest here," laughed Tammy Grimm, who teaches the Special Olympics Rockers in Billings.
"We include everybody," Grimm told MTN Sports referring to her wide-ranging class of all-aged dancers. "Disability, no disability, and it doesn't matter what your disability is. If you're in a wheelchair, you can come join us."
Which they do, practicing every Sunday at Lewis and Clark Middle School in Billings.
But on this particular Sunday, the Rockers were cutting a rug on Daylis Stadium's turf — just a few days from busting moves in front of everybody at this year's Yellowstone Valley Games Opening Ceremonies.
"It is so cool," said 15-year-old Keira Reed, who was brave enough to give us a sneak peek at what to expect.
Haley Watts is a 24-years-old dancer and said she wasn't nervous about the big performance because she'd been at Daylis Stadium before — chasing medals.
"I did track and field here a long time ago, softball throw and the high jump," Haley proudly said.
Keira also knows what to expect on game day.
"(I'll get) on the bus Friday and meet all of my class and do a parade around (the track)."
As for dance routines, Grimm says she finds the simplest she can on YouTube.
"You see the front row on the white line," she said pointing, "...they're my volunteer helpers. We teach the dancers as many steps as they can handle. If they can't handle a step or two, it's okay to create your own."
When last Friday rolled around the weather was miserable. It would've been easy to cancel Opening Ceremonies with wind and increasing rain, but no. Tammy's Rockers were all over it to keep everybody entertained. They're relentless. One of the reasons Grimm is still teaching moves to this group after 15 years.
"When you've had a really long week and you're just down, like, oh, I've got to start a whole new week... this group will get you going," she said.
And keep you going. Rain or shine.
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