Maple Ridge was well represented by local hip hop dance crew Freshh at the World Hip Hop Championships in Las Vegas.
Even though the team placed a respectable seventh, dancer Ryan Morrissette vows his crew will place in the top three next year.
The competition took place late July with 58 dance crews from all over the world battling for hip hop supremacy. Morrissette’s was the only team from Canada.
“It was pretty crazy. We had all the Canadian fans cheering for us. It was completely nuts,” Morrissette said.
“The experience was amazing but we’re coming back stronger next year and we’re placing in the top three.”
Even though Morrissette has cystic fibrosis, a disease that affects the lungs and digestive system, he competed just as hard as his fellow dancers.
To ensure he could pop, lock and break comfortably, Morrissette did an hour of physiotherapy every morning to endure the crew’s eight-hour practices.
“It was tough. It was alright during the competition but during some long practices I had to take breaks to use my puffer,” he said.
“But it doesn’t affect me too much.
“It was crazy. We were there for 10 days and it was the best experience you could possibly have.”
The crew’s longest practice ran 11 hours because 75 per cent of their routine had to be altered for the final round of the championships.
Hard work aside, Morrissette said it was fun to be able to hang out with dancers from other countries and to dance in front of a large cheering crowd.