As State finals approach for dance and cheer, both teams at GHS have managed to make history yet again, earning the chance to attend Nationals, which are being held in Orlando, Florida, similar to previous years. During Nationals both teams will be presenting their separate routines before having a combined routine for spirit game day.
Both teams will be attending the Universal Cheerleaders Association and Universal Dance Association, which are held annually at the Walt Disney World Resort. Both teams, having attended Nationals in the years before, seem optimistic about doing even better than they ever have in the past.
“This season has been great,” cheer coach Zoe Chagnon said. “I am always blown away at the talent we continue to develop on our team. I love to see the bonds on our team grow and develop throughout the year, as well as their passion develop within the routines we work so hard on all year to compete with.”
NDA High School Nationals is a multiple-day event, it goes from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, and will host the National high-school cheerleading, dance and band championships. The National Federation of High School Associations will also be endorsing them. Both GHS teams will be a part of the second division.
During Nationals, the dance team will be tasked with performing four different routines, while the cheer team will perform their game-day routine before following up with their spirit game day routine where both dance and cheer will be presenting and collaborating.
While going to Nationals, both teams will be flying on the same plane and will also be practicing alongside each other.
“We’ve never really practiced together, so some of the coaching is different between the dance and cheer coaches,.” freshman Said Kara Schroeder said. “But we are flying on the same plane, so I think it’ll be interesting to see how it pans out.”
Alongside that, the cheer team has had one of the biggest squads they’ve had in previous years, with 23 on the varsity team and 10 on the JV team. This comes in contrast with the dance team, which is a singular ,varsity group, with 10 people.
“It’s always a bit stressful, because regionals are so early in the season,” Chagnon said. “Although it’s stressful, we work hard, and I know in my heart our hard work will always pay off as it is supposed to.”
