No Counts Given with Kyle Rush

No Counts Given

No Counts Given, powered by Dance Team Union, is the premier podcast for the dance team community. Spotlighting dancers, coaches, judges, and industry leaders shaping the future of the sport. With a bold, authentic, and engaging tone, our episodes deliver insightful interviews, expert analysis, and coverage of major dance team events, coaching shifts, viral moments, and dance team culture. Whether you’re on the sidelines, in the audience, or center stage, No Counts Given keeps you connected, inspired, and in the know.

  1. Jun 11

    THE BACK TUCK MOMENT NOBODY SAW COMING | TRANSITIONING TO UDA WITH ERIN ALVARADO | NCG 66

    In this episode of No Counts Given, Kyle Rush sits down with Erin Alvarado, Head Coach of the Texas Tech Dance Team, for an educational conversation on coaching, choreography, and the evolution of competitive dance team performance. We couldn't do this without today's sponsor, Dance Team Union. Dance Team Union | www.danceteamunion.com Erin shares her journey from dancer to coach, diving into the mindset, strategy, and creative decisions behind building and leading a successful college dance team program. From full-team skills to intentional routine design, this episode breaks down what it takes to compete at a high level while staying true to your team’s identity. If you’re a coach, athlete, choreographer, or dance team fan looking to better understand the strategy behind elite-level dance team competition, this conversation with Erin Alvarado is packed with insight, perspective, and real coaching takeaways. 00:00 Coming Up on This Episode 00:27 From West Virginia to Texas Tech 05:02 Ad: The Rankings by Dance Team Union 06:12 Avoiding Burnout When You Love What You Do 08:31 Consulting for the National Champs, West Virginia 11:40 Inside One of the Only Full-Time Coaching Jobs 12:35 Why Texas Tech Switched from NDA to UDA 14:49 Competing with Team USA Jazz and Pom 19:36 Like, Comment, and Subscribe! 20:10 Ad: A Coaches Perspective 22:55 THE FULL TEAM BACK TUCK MOMENT 27:47 How You Know an Athlete Is Bought In at Texas Tech 30:47 Recruiting at Tribe 99 + The Common Recruit Video 34:12 All Star Growth and How to Succeed at the Top 35:11 Ad: Road to Nationals 35:45 Erin’s Advice: Making Finals and Climbing to the Top 40:17 Conflict of Interest? + Erin’s New Superpower: Staging 42:36 Trends Shaping the Dance Team Industry 43:30 What’s Next for Texas Tech Pom 45:21 Blending Artistry with the Sport of Dance 49:22 Visit NoCountsGiven.com + See You Next Week

  2. Jun 4

    THE ARTIST VS. THE SCORESHEET, THE SYSTEM AND THE PRESSURE WITH TRAVIS LAKE | NCG 65

    In this episode of No Counts Given, Kyle Rush sits down with Travis Lake, a trailblazing choreographer known for his work with programs like BYU, University of Minnesota, and Dance Mania All Stars, for an honest conversation about creativity, competition, and challenging the rules of the dance team industry. We couldn't do this without our sponsors, thank you! Dance Team Union | www.danceteamunion.com The College Classic | www.thecollegeclassic.com Travis opens up about the routines, risks, and creative choices that helped shape his career, while also sharing the personal and professional challenges that come with pushing boundaries in a highly regulated competitive space. This episode dives into what it really means to challenge the status quo without losing sight of excellence, clarity, and purpose. Travis shares insight into the creative process, the emotional cost of chasing greatness, and why some of the biggest breakthroughs come from refusing to play it safe. Chapters: 00:00 - Intro + Thank You Dance Team Union 00:43 - Growing Up in Utah: Religion, Identity & Early Challenges 07:43 - Travis’ BYU Journey + Being Ghosted by a Top Dance Program 21:37 - AD: Dance Team Union | A Coach’s Perspective 24:22 - Underpaid in the Industry, Even at the Top Level 27:33 - Reaching the Childhood Dream: Working with Minnesota 46:37 - Thank You, Travis 47:11 - AD: The Rankings by Dance Team Union 48:13 - How Music Rule Changes Shifted the Dance Team Industry 50:42 - Hitting Rock Bottom: Travis Opens Up 56:21 - Dance Mania: Setting a New Standard in All Star Dance 1:03:51 - Getting Fired from Dance Mania 1:11:03 - Sam Houston: Teaching and Choreographing for the Dance Team 1:20:05 - Travis’ Advice for Choreographers Tags: nationals season, road to nationals, dance team analysis, judges perspective, dance breakdowns, competitive dance talk, elite dance training, performance quality, intentional choreography, dance team culture, college dance insights, high school dance teams, all-star dance training, pom technique, hip hop judging, dance education, behind the scores, dance media commentary

  3. May 28

    USASF TRANSPARENCY | BLIND ITEM ADVICE | UDA & NDA NATIONALS PLOT TWIST WITH SFA | NCG 64

    Thank you for supporting No Counts Given this past year. I appreciate every single one of you that tune in weekly. I hope you enjoy this 2 hour ONE YEAR B-DAY episode. We couldn’t do this without our sponsors, thank you. Dance Team Union | www.danceteamunion.com Rebel Athletic | www.rebelathleticdance.com Sharpen Up! Dance Team Training | www.sharpenupdtt.com Dance Team Supply | www.danceteamsupply.com Today on the show, I’m breaking down IDL Sydney and sharing my overall predictions for how this series stop could play out. We’re also diving into a few Blind Items, including some advice submissions that definitely need to be unpacked. Then, I’m sitting down with Ashley and Courtney Frato of The Source Dance Lab for an honest conversation about transparency and the ongoing questions surrounding USASF Dance Worlds. Later in the episode, T.J. Maple from Stephen F. Austin State University joins us to talk about major developments in SFA’s season, including their decision to attend both UDA College Nationals and NDA College Nationals. To close out the show, I’m sharing my Top 10 routines from the 2025-2026 season. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: We Have A Packed Show 06:59 Ad: The Rankings by Dance Team Union 08:00 IDL Sydney Breakdown & My Official Predictions 19:45 Blind Items: Advice, Drama & Real Talk 37:09 DTU Ad: Hear It From The Coaches 39:47 The Source Dance Lab Speaks Out on USASF Transparency 1:41:26 Breaking Down SFA’s Move To Both UDA & NDA Nationals 1:45:51 Ad: Road To Nationals by Dance Team Union 1:46:24 T.J. Maple Talks SFA Doubling Down This Season 2:00:36 My Top 10 Routines From The 2025-2026 Season 2:04:04 June Schedule, Final Thoughts & Outro

  4. May 14

    THE COLLEGE CLASSIC | NAIA, JUNIOR COLLEGE & NAIA COVERAGE | FEATURING COACH INTERVIEWS | NCG 62

    The divisions that don’t always get the spotlight? Yeah… we’re putting them CENTER STAGE. We couldn't do this without our sponsors: Dance Team Union | www.danceteamunion.com Sharpen Up! Dance Team Training | www.sharpenupdtt.com Dance Team Supply | www.danceteamsupply.com Follow No Counts Given on all social media platforms @nocountsgiven and follow our host, Kyle Rush, on all platforms @itskylerush This episode is dedicated to highlighting the athletes, the coaches and the programs that demanded the stage at The College Classic. In this episode of No Counts Given, we’re breaking down the NAIA, Junior College, and DIII divisions from The College Classic and trust, this is where some of the most competitive, overlooked, and straight-up impressive routines of the weekend lived. Plus, we’re bringing you straight to the source with exclusive interviews from the head coaches/captains leading these standout programs: St. Ambrose University Trinity Valley Community College North Central College SUNY Cortland From strategy and scoring breakdowns to behind-the-scenes insight on what it actually takes to compete at this level, this episode gives these divisions the respect, analysis, and spotlight they’ve earned. nationals season, road to nationals, dance team analysis, judges perspective, dance breakdowns, competitive dance talk, elite dance training, performance quality, intentional choreography, dance team culture, college dance insights, high school dance teams, all-star dance training, pom technique, hip hop judging, dance education, behind the scores, dance media commentary #NationalsSeason #RoadToNationals #DanceTeamAnalysis #JudgesPerspective #DanceBreakdown #CompetitiveDanceTalk #EliteDanceTraining #PerformanceQuality #IntentionalChoreography #DanceTeamCulture #CollegeDanceInsights #HighSchoolDanceTeams #AllStarDanceTraining #PomTechnique #HipHopJudging #DanceEducation #BehindTheScores #DanceMedia

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No Counts Given, powered by Dance Team Union, is the premier podcast for the dance team community. Spotlighting dancers, coaches, judges, and industry leaders shaping the future of the sport. With a bold, authentic, and engaging tone, our episodes deliver insightful interviews, expert analysis, and coverage of major dance team events, coaching shifts, viral moments, and dance team culture. Whether you’re on the sidelines, in the audience, or center stage, No Counts Given keeps you connected, inspired, and in the know.

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