After placing fourth in pom and third in hip hop at state, the Dance Team started their preparation for nationals. The team tried to stay focused and keep their eyes on the prize while also feeling excited about making it to nationals.

Junior Kess Brown expressed her excitement by remembering what nationals has done for the team in the past.

“Performing at nationals is one of my favorite memories as a dance team member, mainly because we became so much closer throughout the week,” Brown said.

However, with this exciting chance to perform at nationals came hard work and lots of responsibility. As sophomore Maggie Baldus explained, the girls must go through long hours of practice to perfect their routines.

“We have been spending a lot of hours on weekends cleaning both our pom and hip hop dance to make it look flawless. We are also lifting to get stronger and using wrist weights when we practice Pom to make our arms stronger,” Baldus said.

No one knows the struggles the team as a whole goes through more than Coach Jess Novotny.

“I am very proud of the girls on my team. They did not have an easy season. There were setbacks, injuries and personal struggles that made doing their job on the floor much more difficult,” Coach Novotny said. “However, the team has gotten very close, almost like siblings, so there is tension, laughter and lots of silliness and inside jokes.”

This past year has been filled with lots of accomplishments and great memories for the team.

The Dance Team competed on February 2 in Orlando, Florida in both the hip hop and pom divisions.