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Couples twirl across the dance floor—their freshly shined boots shuffling along the hardwood surface in a circle that spans nearly the entire dancehall. Single girls line the edge of the floor in anticipation of a song change and the chance to be swept up in a cowboy’s arms.

Her teammates and coach call her Palin. At 5’8’’ with a slim build, she exudes a quiet confidence and carries herself with the poise of a vice-presidential candidate. She also shares the same first name as the former vice-presidential candidate—Sarah—but that’s not why Sarah Beard earned the nickname during her freshman year at TCU.

I sit on my living room couch with a pillow behind my back and a book in my lap. Draped over my legs is my puppy Chloe, a salt and pepper Schnauzer/Terrier/Poodle mix with a white mo-hawk cutting a line straight between her ears. She and I have conveniently forgotten for the time being that she’s not technically  supposed to be on the couch.