The poms competitive dance team started their winter season earning 1st place at the Oakforest invitational and 4th at the SPC conference meet. Poms ended their season with a 12th place finish out of 16 teams at the sectionals meet scoring an 83.8.
“We have maintained a high status this season for being scored in the top half of every invite we have participated in,” coach Kaitlyn Polakovic said. “At every invite, the girls have greatly improved both as dancers and as athletes.”
According to senior Evangelina Salazar, a major component of their success this season has been team chemistry.
“My team and I are super close. We love to go for Dunkin runs before practice,” Salazar said. “Poms has been a huge part of my high school career because I made my best friends from it.” As the team tries to reach their goals this season, each dancer maintains their own personal goal for this year.
“One of my personal, skill-based goals for the season is to nail down the turns, and get better leaps,” junior Anna Moiseytseva said.
With team and personal success comes personal challenges, especially given the rigorous schedule tied to competitive dance.
“‘I’ve had to overcome the fatigue of constantly practicing,” senior Camila De La Torre said. “Sometimes teammates have to sit out for injuries and we have to be flexible and restage our dance.”
Regardless of adversity faced during the competitive season, poms remains an experience that plays an impactful role in the lives of student dancers.
“Pom’s has been a very important aspect in my high school career. I’ve been through a lot of lows and so many highs,” junior Bailee Vitanovec said. “It has shaped me into the person I am today.”
