Lancer Dancer Clinic To Take Place Saturday

Every year, the Drill Team hosts a Lancer Dancer clinic for girls grades kindergarten through eighth grade. These are girls that are interested in being a future team member, or just want to spend their day having fun and dancing.

“I love the fact that it is a great way for the Lancer Dancers to get out into the community,” coach Alexis Bugler Close said. “But I think my favorite part of the whole day is seeing all of the admiration that the little girls have for the big girls.”

The clinic starts with the girls getting escorted to their groups, which are split up by grade level. Each group has five or six Lancer Dancers as leaders. The leaders choreograph a dance for their group and then spend the day teaching with a snack break and game breaks.

“Last year, we had a huge increase in girls,” event coordinator Susann Ogg said. “We went from about 120 girls one year to 187 the next, 57 of those being walk-ins. We already have 160 girls signed up, so I’m expecting a big turnout.”

After spending Saturday learning their routines, the girls get to school at around 5:00 on Monday night to review their dances, warm up and do a performance in front of all the girls. Then, they perform their dances one group at a time for the halftime show at the girl’s varsity game, starting at 7:00.

“I love watching all the cute little girls do their dances, and the older girls get excited about being on the team,” senior Lancer Dancer Taylor McCullough said. “I got to teach my sister’s group one year, so that was probably my favorite clinic memory ever.”

Every girl who does the clinic gets a t-shirt, a snack and drink, an afternoon of fun and dancing and the chance to be part of a halftime performance. The clinic continues to grow in success every year, and gives girls a chance to see what it’s like to b e a Lancer Dancer.