After months of practice and hours of hard work, the Xavier Dance Team competed at the National Dance Team Championship in Orlando, Florida on February 2-4. The team headed into nationals after a successful regular season, where the girls won a second state title in the pom category, and a regional title in the jazz category. This year the team debuted with a new name, a new coach, and lots of goals for the season. The team had five seniors this year, four of which were team captains who held the team accountable for reaching their goals.

The girls had been preparing for nationals since the start of their season back in May, but crunch time came in December following the state competition. They practiced five to six days a week, bonding and running their dances repeatedly to make them perfect for performance on the nationals stage.

“As a team, we have grown so much strength and drive, and we were able to push through the sweat and soreness because we all wanted to be good,” senior captain Erin Smith said.

The team flew to Florida to compete with 75 other teams from around the country at the ESPN Wide World of Sports at Disney World. The team competed in both jazz and pom divisions, and qualified for the semi final round with its pom routine. The girls felt very confident in their dances, and had the best nationals performances in the school’s history, amid stiff competition.

“My favorite part of nationals was the excitement of hearing our team name as they announced the semi finalists,” freshman Maggie Baldus said. After days of practice and competition, the team wrapped up its nationals trip by visiting the different parks at Disney World. Nationals marked the end of the competition season for the dance team, and the girls had their last performance as a team on February 15 at a boys’ basketball game. Tryouts for next year’s dance team will be held in late April, and practices will begin in late May.

Nicole Hassenstab 

A&E Writer