Lakeland’s Varsity Dance Team kicked off their competitive season with a great start at the Prarie Classic Dance Competition on Dec. 2.
The team placed first in all four of their group routines: pom, hip-hop, lyrical and military. They also received the Grand Champion’s Award for their overall high-scoring performances.
Some of the team members also competed in individual competitions such as solos, duos, and other individual categories.
In the solo division, Claire Kelley received first place, Emma Marshall received second place, and Aly Caywood received third place.
In the duo division, Rowan McKinzie and Lilyann Still placed first, Leeann Lohf and Kambree Marreel placed second, and Keona Roemermann and Madelynn Hasz placed third.
In the turns category, Claire Kelley received first place, and Aly Caywood received second place.
In the improv category, Aly Caywood received first place, Claire Kelley received second place, and Madelynn Hasz received third place.
As this was the first competition, there were some nerves going in, especially for the newer team members.
“I was nervous, but it ended up being really fun,” freshman Lilyann Still said.
Overall, the team had a good experience.
“I think it went really well,” team Captain Claire Kelley said. “It was organized, and we all did our part.”
The team plans to continue cleaning their routines so they can score even higher in future competitions and make it to state.
“We will look at the judges’ critiques and improve from there,” Kelley said.
Everyone is excited to see where the season will lead.
“I hope we keep winning,” Still said. “We started off the season as grand champs; now we just have to keep it up.”
