Drill Team Places Fifth at National Level

A crowd of 17 girls clad in light blue leotards and sparkly black lace dresses shake nervously as they stretch slowly across the mat. 30 minutes left. This isn’t like the East gymnasium. There are no stands full of best friends, cheering for the highlight of the pep assembly. Instead, the girls are surrounded by other teams. Teams who have worked just as hard as them and want to win just as badly. The girls move to the next mat, a begin running through their simple tricks, their spins, their kicks. 20 minutes. They wonder if they have what it takes to take down the team that just nailed their performance, and hope that they can just stay in sync in front of the judges. They arrive at the final mat, and run through their dance routine one last time. It’s their first practice since they arrived in Orlando. 10 minutes. The nerves are really kicking in now. Are they too young? Half of this team had never even competed at the varsity level.

Now it’s time. It’s just them on one of the grandest stages any of them have seen, The Hard Rock Live. Moments before the music starts, a huddle gathers in the middle of the stage.

“1…2…3…BEST FRIENDS!”

The soft beat of Florence + the Machine’s “Cosmic Love” sets in, and 34 feet take their first step in unison. The dancers are finally at ease.

***

Over spring break, the Lancer Dancer drill team made the trip down to Orlando where they took part in Nationals. After not making it to the competition last year, the team returned to the competition, where past teams have had huge performances. This year’s team is one of the youngest in recent years, with eight sophomores. But despite their youth, veteran dancers like junior Liz Rodgers felt like the team still had a ton of skill even with their lack of experience.

“I personally thought we had a very talented squad,” Rodgers said. “And even from the beginning of the year we knew we had a really good chance of going to nationals.”

The team not only works on their performances during class every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but they often come in at seven before school and stay after school. During school they often practice until the final bell.

“We have to get called in late a lot because of drill team,” Rodgers said.

The team also attended a camp very early on in the season, that was essential for making the cut at Nationals. Kristin Fry, the sponsor for the girls, knew that she had a very young and talented group, but learned at the camp how dedicated the dancers were.

“The girls have an amazing work ethic,” Fry said. “Camp is four days long and they danced for almost 12 hours every single day. I was very proud of them and the effort they put into their work.”

The senior leaders felt that it was their job to help encourage this strong work ethic and push their talent to the max. Senior Emily Welter knew that this group had a lot of potential and she didn’t want any of it to go to waste.

“Our choreographer called us ‘The Dream Team’ and I felt we had a really strong chance of going to Nationals,” Welter said. “I knew that it was my last year, and I wanted all of us to leave it all out there this season.”

Once the team recieved the news they were going to Orlando they began “cleaning the dance”, where they make sure every single dancer is in sync, even with the tiniest details such as head placement. They also try to find the team’s greatest strengths so now what events to compete in Nationals.

***

Once the girls arrived in Orlando over Spring Break, they were not allowed to practice at all. Along with close to 18 other teams in their large division, the girls sat through a long morning of watching other squads bounding and dancing across the huge stage. After the performances ended, their scores flashed on a huge screen over the stage.

“It was really intimidating,” Rodgers said. “It made us constantly wonder if we were better or worse than the team that just performed. The big screen that flashed the scores didn’t make things better.”

But the most intense moment of each performance was when the judges who sat in the back of the auditorium, where they could see each and every flaw. Even Welter, who had already been to Nationals during her sophomore year, found the environment to be rattling.

“Watching the other girls you get a blend of being excited for everyone and being really scared at the same time,” Welter said. “The judges aren’t front and center either. With them way in the back, you know that they can catch every mistake, because they have a really broad view of the choreography.”

***

As the lyrics “No dawn. No day. I’m always in this twilight” blast through the crowd, the Lancers now spin, twirl, and leap gracefully as one group. As the dance progresses, the group splits and runs through smaller routines. They are no longer worried about the crowd, the judges, or the score. They are flowing to the music.

“My favorite parts were the few parts where the whole team was unified doing simple choreography,” Welter said. “I also liked when the music [got] really climatic and there was a lot of emotion.”

As the music dies down, thunderous applause fills the air. The girls glance at each other, smiling gleefully. The score flashes on the screen, and the girls breath a sigh a relief.

9.1 out of 10. Fifth in the competition. Their 12-hour practice sessions and year of prep had finally paid off with that final dance.