The Northern Stars are Grand Champions

Written by mindy.haesemeyer on . Posted in Newspaper.

Story by Kate Gerding – Feature/News Editor

 

 The Northern Stars are champions yet again. This past weekend, the dance team took home multiple awards, including team and several individual awards. Shelley McCain, head dance coach, led the girls to victory at one of Dance Team Union’s regional competitions.

   “We competed in Large Varsity Jazz and Large Varsity Team Performance, [and] we won first in both categories,” McCain said.

   However, those are not the only awards the team took home.

   “Because our Team Performance was the highest scoring dance of the day, we also won Grand Champions,” McCain said.

   Three dancers also received individual awards for their solo performances. Navi Hodge, junior, placed 11th overall, Julia Cooper, senior, placed 8th overall, and Emery Sousley, senior, placed 2nd overall. Although the team can now celebrate their win, their success did not happen overnight. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, and they spent many hours perfecting each and every piece.

   “We actually have been working on both these routines since August. The team practices 4 times a week for a total of about 7-8 hours,” McCain said.

   According to McCain, there are so many things to love about coaching the dance team.

   “From an actual coaching aspect, I love creating the masterpiece, the final product…and I love watching the change and the growth that happens through the process,” McCain said.

   McCain also has a personal connection with coaching the team.

   “I love to mentor these young ladies. I work to model so much more than just what it is to be a coach. I try to teach them how to be a strong team member and how to push themselves outside of their comfort zone,” McCain said.

There are so many things that go into being successful as a dancer and a team as a whole. The Northern Stars will continue to work hard and look forward to many more victories. 

 

Photo courtesy of Brooke Grechus

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