HAVING grown up putting after- school hours into team sports, I confess to not knowing much about individual disciplines like ballet.

But recently, I got a chance to meet 11-year-old Regan Shaw of Spotsylvania County, who shared a great deal about her world.

She's a young ballet dancer whose recent achievement at a regional competition is an example of what can come from the kind of hard work that's way beyond what most young shortstops will put in at her age.

Shaw, a sixth-grader at Ni River Middle School, placed in the distinguished Top 12 of her age division at the Philadelphia regional competition of the Youth America Grand Prix International Ballet Competition.

Her high marks in two short dance programs--one mandatory and one put together with the help of staff at her home studio, Classical Ballet of Fredericksburg--also earned her an invitation to take part in the "New York City Intensives" dance training sessions held by YAGP in the spring.

Shaw, who's been dancing one way or another since she was 4, has been working with director Regina Bogomolova and other instructors at Classical Ballet of Fredericksburg for the past several years.

Classes at the center are based on the Russian School of Dance, which sets out a very structured course of instruction, training students in "the correct placement of head, arms, shoulders, hips, legs and feet from the first moment they enter class," the director said.

But none of that would matter if Regan didn't work hard: stretching, sweating and learning the positions, jumps and graceful movements that eventually become segments in ballet programs.

"I always look forward to going to dance," said Shaw, a typical kid who also enjoys talking to friends, studying history and looking forward to her next ballet production.

Some weeks, she'll put in 10 hours of practice over four days, then add more hours on the weekend if there's a studio production in the offing.

"I never have to nag or push her," said Regan's mom, Renee, who accompanied her daughter to Philadelphia. "She'll often tell me when it's time to go to class."