In the 2017 season, the Pom and Dance team finished second, just behind Gleneg High School. Their state champion title was in 2015.  This year’s team, a little larger and more experienced, is poised to re-capture the title.

The 2017-2018 Pom and Dance team has increased to 26 members compared to last year’s 22. The captain and co-captains were chosen during tryouts in April of 2017: Katie Constantine (Captain), Mary Taylor (Co-Captain), and Kelsey Ward (Co-Captain) are all members of the Class of 2018. Each of the captains have been on the team for all four years of their high school career.

Constantine says, “I decided to try out for captain this year because I felt I had good leadership skills and ideas that could benefit our team. I thought I got along really well with the team and it would be fun!”

She also says that she loves teaching the dances and getting to perform them on Friday nights at the football games. 

Creating the dances takes 3-4 hours outside of practice, and trying to do something unique with the whole team can be difficult. However, Constantine, Taylor, and Ward always manage to make each dance unlike ones they have done before.

Of course ,not everything works out exactly to plan when the entire team is not in front of you, but with the help of coach Michelle Richardson, the outcome of the dances are fantastic.

This year is Richardson’s eighth year as the Pom and Dance team coach. She says, “I love seeing the girls grow up throughout their years on the team, especially those who are on the team from the time they are freshmen to the time they are seniors.”

Richardson also said that there is a wide variety of dancers on the team, making it even more entertaining to be involved.

“When you’re dancing on the field, nothing else matters for those few minutes. Your mind clears out, and there is not anything to worry about,” says freshman Ashley Nash.

More than on the field, the girls have game day traditions that they love to keep alive, wearing their uniforms to school and saying their chant before they take the field at halftime.

Last year’s competition season was very successful with the team competing in short pom, jazz, kick, prop, and lyrical. At the state championships the final results were first place in short pom, lyrical, kick, and prop, then jazz received second place. Marlee Steig and Taylor Thomas both were top three captains.

With competition season just weeks after the winter holiday, the girls have begun to prepare for an intense four months. This year they will be competing in short pom, kick, and lyrical.

Third year member of the team, Amanda Drake, says, “I always look forward to States and hope to come back with a win in any of the dances.”

The first competition is at Walkersville High School on January 13, 2018.

Tryouts are normally in mid to late April.

Richardson says, “As long as they work hard at tryouts and have at least some of the technique, then there is always a chance that they will make the team.”