Almost perfect.
That's how the Bayfield Wolverettes describe their state performance in the 3A poms division last weekend at the Colorado High School Activities Association state spirit competition.
The five-member dance team took second place in the 3A poms competition.
"It was awesome," the team captain, Bridget Nistler, said of their performance. "We were so proud of ourselves. We were proud of how it went and how perfectly we performed it."
Starting on Friday morning, the girls were in the middle of the Denver Coliseum for the first performance of the day, when the venue was nearly empty.
In a way, that was a good thing, Nistler explained. The girls got their routine done and were able to focus on the judges' comments to tweak their performance for finals. Out of the nine poms teams performing in preliminaries, only two would advance, so the girls were thrilled when they learned they were ranked second going into that evening's finals.
For finals, they focused on holding their heads steady, and making tight turns and crisp passés, that move where they lift their foot and place it on the knee of the opposing leg.
That performance was in front of a packed Coliseum, but they said the big venue didn't make them nervous. "We were more excited than nervous," said Peri Milner, a sophomore member of the group.
The girls perform a 1920s-era dance with roots in the Great Gatsby. They'll perform their state routine at the home basketball game on Jan. 13, and there will be a Christmas number at this Saturday's game.
The girls will host their third annual dance camp Feb. 6-10, with youth four years and up welcome to attend to learn basic dance moves and perform a routine at a basketball game. The fee for the camp helps the girls pay for their summer dance camp. Dance team isn't a half-hearted commitment, explained the girls' coach, Lori Nistler. They practice three to four days a week in the fall and winter sports seasons, performing at football and basketball games. In addition to camp, there are practices throughout the summer, as well. They take the spring season off so girls can play soccer or run track, or just take a break.
The hard work has paid off: the team brought home another runner-up state trophy in 2013, and this fall they took first place at Western Colorado regional competition in Grand Junction. Next year, the team of mostly sophomores and juniors want to reach for that elusive state title. They know they have the precision dance moves, but they acknowledge they lack the "wow" factor of a squad with 10 or 15 dancers.
"The bigger teams can have more visual effects," explained Nistler.
"So the quality of our dance has to be a little higher."
Coach Nistler thinks the goal is attainable. Most of these teammates started dance or gymnastics when they were little, so the years of practice are starting to show.
"We'll work on a harder and more difficult program," for next season, the coach said.
