Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2009, Page 65

Description:	•Dancing to a New BeatFreshmen Lauren Powell, Hannah Kesmodel and Ashley Thompsondescribe their first year experiences on the Bloomington South Poms team.Being a freshman at a new schoolbrought a lot of new experiences andactivities to participate in. For freshmenLauren Powell, Hannah Kesmodel, and Ashley Thompson,one of their new experiences was totry out for Bloomington Souths PomsSquad.These three girls let their love ofmusic and dance take control. Ivedanced all my life, and I love to doit, so I was like why shouldnt I joinPoms?, Powell said. After making thesquad, Powell learned how differentbeing on the dance team at South wasthan dancing at Jackson Creek MiddleSchool. It was a ton better. Here weget support from everyone, and notonly do we take it seriously but wehave pride, too.Many weekends year were occupiedby dance competitions that took up thegirls whole Saturday. This was anotherdifference from middle school. WhenI danced in seventh grade, we dancedat games and stuff, but we never wentto competitions or state, explainedThompson, and going to the competitions and state were really fun!This past season, the squad had justfour seniors, but that hardly made adifference to any of the girls. Everyone would always help each other outwith whatever they needed, Thompson said, We were there for one another. With the support and love foreach other, the girls of the squad managed to travel to state. Going to statewas indescribable, Kesmodel stated.Their hard work definitely paid off.We all knew that in our jazz routine,we left it all out on the floor, said Powell. Our other routines, hip-hop andjazz we didnt perform as well in, butwe still placed. For our first year, wewere so happy.Their hard work this year could besummed up by all the grueling practices, amount of sweat, and numbers ofband-aids used on their blistered feet.From the practices that started back inthe summer to those that were morethan two hours long during the schoolyear, the girls had time to learn andperfect their routines.Thompson, Powell, and Kesmodelnot only learned how great a new experience can be, but also how a persons hard work can be rewarded withterrific memories. The dances areseriously embedded in my head frompracticing so much, said Kesmodel.But you know what they say, practicemakes perfect. -MADELINE HAYFORDA talk withKayla ThompsonWhile most students werestill learning to talk, juniorKayla Thompson wasway ahead of the pack.Thompson danced at OneStep Above since she wasthree-years old. She dancedat Batchelor Middle Schooland was on the SouthPoms squad for three years.Thompsons junior yearbrought many new girlsto the squad, includingher little sister, freshmenAshley Thompson. Dancing with my sister can beirritating sometimes but itsfun because its somethingweve shared since we werelittle, Thompson explained.The team spent a lot oftime bonding, especially atcompetitions. Special traditions developed throughoutthe year, including singingAint No Mountain HighEnough before competition. Looking towardsthe future, Thompsonhoped that the squad wouldbe even better her last yearat South as a senior.-LINDSEY ELLINGTONpoms \| SPORTS \| 65m\
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/8087
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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