Just a few weeks ago when nationals concluded, our Stallions took home impressive placements in their respective competitions: Freshman Advanced Pom took 1st, JV Intermediate Pom took 2nd, Varsity Advanced Jazz took 2nd, and Varsity Advanced Pom took 4th.
Pom of course requires pom poms most of the time, focusing on sharp, synchronized, and high-energy motions, while Jazz emphasizes fluid, stylistic, and technically diverse movements. Jazz prioritizes technical skills like leaps and turns, whereas Pom focuses on visual, precise, and fast-paced motion techniques.
Freshman song captains Hayden Overholtzer (9) and Dylan Devine (9) are both on Freshman Advanced Pom. Their experience at nationals was extremely positive, as they took home a first place achievement.
“We don’t know our score until after awards, so our score was a surprise. But we were pretty confident that we were going to score high,” said Devine.
“[Inside the arena], it was really upbeat and fun” and “the ending of our dance [was especially memorable] because we made it through and it was like a ‘we did it!’ moment,” mentioned Overholtzer.
Sophomore captains Annie Carlson (10) and Carly Schaefer (10) are both members of JV Pom. Although they did not take home first place, they still highlighted their performance at nationals as something special to remember. Despite their early call time, it was still an enjoyable event.
“We woke up at 6:30am and got breakfast so we could get there at 8:00. We didn’t perform until around 12:30 and we found out about our placement three hours later,” noted Carlson.
“Everyone was cheering for each other and we all wanted each other to succeed,” said Schaefer.
Varsity Pom and Jazz captains Ella Smallwood (12), Peach Miller (12), Emersyn Fee (12), and Lila Garff (11). Three out of the four varsity captains are seniors, which makes this event very emotional as this is their last time experiencing high school nationals with their team. It marks an important transition between their final year of high school and the rest of their dance career.
“The thing I’ll miss the most is getting to see my teammates every single day. I’ve grown up with them, and I won’t get to see them every day after this year,” highlighted Miller.
“We got our scores in our rooms at night and for pre-lims, we would follow our scores and who we were beating. We found out our final placements later,” said Garff.
Additionally, the schedule for varsity was different from the schedule for other teams.
“We had to get there at 10:00am. Our first dance was at noon and our second dance was at 8:00pm. We were there all day, spent the night there, and then the next morning we had an 8:00am dance, practice in between, and then danced again that same day,” said Fee.
In the end, the results at nationals reflected months of dedication, teamwork, and long rehearsals for the Stallions. From the freshman team’s first-place finish to strong placements from JV and varsity, each group demonstrated the skill and commitment required to compete at a national level. Beyond the awards, the experience created lasting memories for the dancers, especially for the senior captains competing in their final high school nationals. As the season comes to a close, the Stallions leave Anaheim not only with impressive placements, but also with a sense of pride in what they accomplished together.
