Cassidy (O'Brion) Vermeer admits the emotions start to take over when she remembers her own Iowa Central experiences. 

Vermeer, a Fort Dodge native who now lives in Humboldt, is the head coach of the Triton dance team.

"Whenever I'm asked about my own time at Iowa Central and why it was special, I tear up," Vermeer said. "At Iowa Central, I grew up so much and felt like I truly found myself. I finally was able to be myself around others and didn't feel like I had to fit into a certain group like I did in high school. I felt free and like a new person, and had so much fun with the many new friends and memories I had made there."

After graduating from Fort Dodge Senior High, Vermeer was recruited by Liesa Dencklau to join the Triton dance team. She was also well on her way to obtaining her degree thanks to taking several classes while a Dodger.

"I only needed a one year worth of credits to finish my AA degree and I received quite a bit of scholarship money through Iowa Central, which was so helpful when it came to financial expenses," she said. "Also, I am such a home-body and wasn't quite ready to  move away from my family."

While learning under Dencklau, Vermeer gained valuable insight that would eventually help her own coaching career down the road.

"(After high school) I was not ready to be done dancing and knew that Lesa would provide me with such a great dance education and experience that I could take with me when I transferred," she said. "It was my goal to be a member of the UNI Dance Team, and Iowa Central Dance team was a great stepping stone for me."

Those skills developed did help her at Northern Iowa, as Vermeer continued to shine both in the classroom and as an athlete.

"​Iowa Central helped me prepare for UNI in lots of ways," she said. "It gave me the general education I needed to further succeed with my degree at UNI. It helped me feel more comfortable with having to be more independent. At Iowa Central I was taught people skills, communication skills, and just life lessons that are important to have when you finally leave home. 

"While being on the Iowa Central dance team, I grew a lot as a dancer when it came to my dance skills, my performance level, and I grew my passion for dance so much because of the ICDT. So I felt I was more ready and prepared to take my growth onto bigger things such as dancing on a higher collegiate level."

Shortly after graduating from UNI, Vermeer re-joined the Triton family, beginning her tenure with the dance team in 2011. 

"Returning to Iowa Central as a coach felt so amazing and such an honor!" she said. "Honestly there is something about the campus that feels and smells so comfortable and makes you feel at home. I felt like it was such an easy transition into the coaching position because I was once a member of the team and knew how things were run.

"I was also excited to incorporate some new changes to the team that I experienced and learned during my time away at UNI. ICDT has such a special place in my heart and always will. The team is such a big family and has lots of traditions that I was excited to carry on and remain the legacy! The ICDT is not just a job for me, it is my calling and what I was made to do. I feel so blessed and fortunate to have landed such an amazing job that I am so passionate about."

And just like when she was on the team competing, Vermeer enjoys seeing the bonds created by the dancers - and seeing them continue their careers at the next level.

"​The dance team becomes really close as a team and family so relationships are built very quickly and deeply on our team," she said. "Coaching dancers for one-to-two years, sometimes three if we are lucky, is very hard! Time goes by so fast and we are never ready to say goodbye to any of the dancers when that time comes.

"I am so extremely happy and proud of the dancers to meet their goals successfully at Iowa Central and be able to move onto the next stage of life for them. Selfishly, I wish they could all stay forever! It is the most rewarding thing to see our dancers grow, improve and move on knowing that we had a tiny bit to do with their growth and success.

"I knew how integral Iowa Central was in my growth in life, education and career; I only want the same for future Tritons. It is my goal as a coach that the dancers leave the team with the same amount of love, dedication and passion for the ICDT as I do so we can all share that together."