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houghts of vacation and pool days rushed through the minds of stu- dents leaving KHS as the bell rang on the last day of school. But for the 21 members of the varsity dance team, these thoughts would have to be put on hold because summer practices began the following Monday. During summer, the dance team practiced three times a week for three hours per day. They also hosted fund- raisers such as a dance camp for elemen- tary kids in the community and held a car wash. "Summer practices give us extra time to work together as a team before football [starts] back up," Allie Thaman, senior and head captain, said. "We con- dition and are able to learn dances with more time so we don't feel as stressed for fall season." In addition to learning football rou- tines, they focused on preparing for the Universal Dance Association (UDA) camp they attend each year. They prac- ticed for their home routine (a routine each team brings to camp with their original choreography), which they competed in the large varsity division. The squad stayed in dorm rooms July 10-13 at Saint Louis University and placed second out of five teams for their routine. At camp, the squad faced the chal- lenge of learning three new dances within two days, which they performed for ribbons to assess their memorization and execution. The team was awarded with first place for these performances. "Although the days were long at camp (7 a.m.-11 p.m.) it was worth it," Bree Krause, senior, said. "The team learned new choreography, sharpened their technique and grew closer because we all lived, ate and danced together all day long." After the hours put in during the summer, the team was given a three- week break before beginning practices in August for fall season. Jessica Ladd, head coach, said she is excited for the rest of the season because she saw the talent and potential of the team at camp. "This team is very positive, which helps because that is what makes ev- eryone want to come to practice," Ladd said. "Instead of dancing for individual purposes, they dance as one and for each other." Now, the team has football halftime performances to prepare for, as well as the Greentree parade and the fall pep as- sembly. Krause said she looks forward to this part of the season each year. "Football season is my favorite part of poms," Krause said. "I love the feeling of being under the football lights and having everyone from the Kirkwood community watching. Dancing with the band is special as well because no other high school dance team in Missouri dances with a band." Thaman said throughout football season she has the Turkey Day dance in the back of her mind. It is the job of the seniors to choreograph the dance, but Thaman said she has been thinking of ideas ever since she joined poms. After Turkey Day, the team starts focusing on their competition routines, which they plan to take to the St. Charles Classic as well as the state competition in Kansas City winter 2016. To raise money for costumes and travel expenses, the team holds numer- ous fundraisers throughout the year. They are hosting a car wash on Aug. 29 and Dancing with the Staffin Nov., in which team members choose a faculty member to compete in a dance competi- tion with. Later in the season, they have a winter dance kids camp as well as Mr. KHS, a male pageant, where boys from the high school are chosen to compete in talent, swim and formal wear. Although Krause and Thaman said the season is long, they have faith in the team this year. They said they plan to keep up motivation by maintaining a positive attitude and making dances fun so the team does not lose its spark. "We hang outside of practice too and plan to keep this up throughout the year so everything is not so serious," Krause said. "But since we are really close already, it makes it enjoyable to go to practice because I know I will be there with my best friends."
Poms Away
Cece Hensley
in-depth editor
Pom Kids Camp June 1-4 UDA camp July 10-13
Cheerleaders rehearsing chants at practice Aug. 3
timeline photos courtesy of Alissa Hulett, Missy Faser, Rachel Hartman, Anna Schaefer, Jessica Ladd and Sarah Abbitt
Sports
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08.18.2015 www.thekirkwoodcall.com
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