Cubbies Crib interviewed David Ross this week about baseball, his new partnership with Raisin Bran, his retired life,…and yes Dancing with the Stars. More below for how he’s working his tail off and some nice words about his partner Lindsay Arnold. You can also watch a fun video with them below too.
After dipping his toes in the water on vacation with his family, Ross will take part in the upcoming Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars. He and his partner, Lindsay Arnold, will look to defy the odds and capture a Mirror Ball trophy.
When we spoke, he had just wrapped up rehearsal – which, he has learned, cannot be called ‘practice.’ Sore ankles, calves and feet notwithstanding, Ross says he’s looking forward to the opportunity and getting to learn from the experience.
The couple’s team name, Lady and the Gramp, was wildly popular on social media as the news broke last week. As competitive as Ross his, however, he says he’s motivated by more than winning this time around.
“I’m gonna try to be the best version of me I can be. That’s all I can control. I’m working my tail off. I’ve got a phenomenal coach. She is absolutely great. She pushes me, she doesn’t take any crap from me – little bitty fireball. I’m really having a good time with it, gonna enjoy it. I’m doing it for so many other reasons than just trying to win … doing it for myself, to challenge myself. A little bit of a distraction from baseball. I want to show my kids its OK to try something you’re not good at and who knows what might happen.”
More at Cubbies Crib.
ETA: You can listen to another interview at CBS Local.US Weekly has a great interview too.
And how do dance rehearsals stack up against baseball practice? “I’ve become big on eating breakfast,” Ross shares. “I’ve been filling up on a bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch Apple Strawberry because I’ve got to put a good nutritious breakfast in my body to start out the day. I go from breakfast to dropping off the kids at school to dancing for four hours! It’s very, very exhausting and you’re starving when you’re done.”
The dad of three, who plans to fly back and forth between Los Angeles and Florida during filming to stay connected to his family, says his kids are the biggest reason he signed up for the show. “When you do something like this, you’re putting yourself out there and challenging yourself,” says Ross. “I tell my kids all the time, when they’re scared to try something, ‘Look at dad! He’s trying something new.’