Trek to the Top: HHS Dance and Cheer

This season brought many new challenges for the HHS Dance and Cheer teams. Tryouts were postponed for two months while the school district made a plan regarding athletics. Once the teams were established, the athletes had to stay diligent about wearing masks and staying healthy. This year, the layout and rules of competitions changed due to the pandemic as well. Normally, competitions last four to five hours; however, each team had to leave as soon as they were done performing to cut down on large numbers of people gathering at one time. This meant both programs could not support teams from other schools as much as they have done in past years. They also had to forgo awards ceremonies; instead, they received emails with their results. Despite the many challenges, the Harrisburg Dance and Cheer Teams met their goals for the season and appreciated their opportunities to compete.

The Harrisburg Dance Team placed in the top five at every competition they went to. Leah Hallstrom, the assistant coach for Harrisburg Dance, explained that each competition prepared the team for ESD and State Dance. In order to see what the team needed to change, the girls not only watched film but also took notes to better themselves and the entire team.Competitions also allowed the team to receive feedback from judges, which further prepared the team. Rowan Kocmick, one of the team’s captains, described how every member of the team came into practice ready to work. She made an effort to lead her team by encouraging everyone to put forth their best effort at every practice. During difficult practices, the team worked together to maintain a positive environment.

Two main goals of the dance team’s season were to place not only second at ESD but also fourth at State. Harrisburg Dance exceeded the first goal. Rowan described how nothing could compare to the moment the team discovered they had gotten first at ESD. In response to this accomplishment, they worked as hard as they could to continue their success. They met their goal of placing fourth out of eighteen at State. The team is hoping to continue these accomplishments next season.

The Harrisburg Cheer Team also experienced a variety ofsuccesses throughout their season. For the third year in a row, they placed 1st at ESD. Another great accomplishment was placing 3rd at State out of eighteen teams. Mara McElroy, one of the team’s captains, explained that to prepare for State, they made it their mission to give one hundred percent at each practice. This mission statement held the team accountable. Their hard work throughout the season led them to complete both of these goals successfully. Both programs look forward to future triumphs for their Tiger athletes!