The Dance Team is poppin’, lockin’ and droppin’ their way to Nationals.

Last year the team took people by surprise and won Nationals, which is held at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

“Nationals was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities,” said junior Hannah Ernst. “Being on the stage and hearing them say that you’re National Champions is incredible.”

This year Dance Team is being led by seniors Katie DeClark and Chelsea Kopf. There are three other captains alongside of DeClark and Kopf; Ernst, and juniors Nicky Ditnoy, and Riley O’Rourke. The team is also bringing back a squad of veteran underclassmen. Even with the return of such strong leaders the team is trying not to let last year’s win get to their heads.

“We always want to win, but we try to stay humble,” said O’Rourke. “We don’t want to brag about our wins.”

An important part of the team this year is their chemistry. Even though they practice at all times of the week the team members still hang out with each other in their free time. They have team sleepovers, fundraisers, and enjoy spending time with each other. 

“A lot of teams say they’re families, but you don’t know what a family if until you hang out with our team,” said O’Rourke. “If we weren’t so close together, I don’t think we would have gone that far [last year].”

The team still has a long road before they make it back to Nationals. The last two competitions the dance team took first and is now looking forward to the future competitions. The two competitions coming up will be held at South County and the other will be hosted at WS.

“The coolest thing right now is that we are starting to get a fan base,” said Ernst. “We are no longer the ‘Where is Kobbie?’ team.”