The climax of the Riverside Brookfield High School competition poms season appropriately included the program’s first trip to the Universal Dance Association National Dance Team Championship for Division I (large schools) at the Walt Disney World Resort, Feb. 6-8, in Orlando, Florida.
This season truly was magical.
“We’ve worked so hard to get to nationals and have put in so much time,” senior co-captain Aubrey Agne said.
“(That) definitely paid off as we made RB history and made the most amazing memories as a team. We are very grateful for everyone who supported us throughout this process and helped us get to nationals.”
The Bulldogs truly enjoyed a memorable performance in the Jazz and Pom divisions for large schools, followed by two top-four finishes and more program history at the Illinois Drill Team Association Championships March 14 in Springfield.
Team members are senior co-captains Isabella Kirsch and Agne, seniors Liv Creedon, Olivia Krzystofiak, Sofia Miller, Liliana Nieto, Kailyn Novak, Emelia Royer and Sadie Towers, juniors Samantha Bolt, Charlotte Caponio-Kalnes, Avery Cavaliere, Addie Segura and Annika Weekes, sophomore Elin Peterson and freshmen freshmen Dalilah Castillo, Mia Maciejewski, Ellis Maloney, Tessa Sherman and Rafaela Vietti. Tia Sherman is the head coach.
“As a team, we feel so lucky to have the opportunity to set a precedent for RB poms,” Kirsch said. “Over the years, we have worked so hard so it feels so rewarding to see it pay off.”
Coach Sherman now hopes this can become a regular occurrence for the Bulldogs every three or four years. Sherman first took a poms team to Florida when she previously coached at Lyons Township.
To get to UDA Nationals, the Bulldogs first had to achieve a qualifying score this past summer. Next came the task of getting to Florida.
Sherman said the team probably covered about 90 percent of their expenses through fundraising.
The effort was worth it.
“The girls just embraced every moment of the trip,” Coach Sherman said.
“Competition wise it was so cool to be up against so many elite teams from around the country. They had their best performances that they could have had. We didn’t move on to semis but we beat a few teams and we’re happy with that.”
This season was a special group with many team veterans. For Sherman, the team roster includes her daughter, two nieces and her best friend’s daughter.
“Many of them have been dancing their whole lives together,” Sherman said. “Not only did we go to compete well and showcase the school but also to celebrate all they did these past few years together and celebrate the seniors and how much time they’ve devoted.”
The Bulldogs finished 22nd (79.1667) in the Jazz Division out of 32 teams and 25th (75.0833) in the Pom Division out of 27.
Not advancing to the semis did allow more free time for the amusement park and touring.
“I had so much fun being in such a fun atmosphere with my team. We shared so many laughs with each other and created many memories that will last a lifetime,” Agne said.
The performance also was memorable for being on the famous stage renown for national college competitions.
The anticipation started just with the backstage warmup alongside other teams and athletes.
“I think a highlight was the extra adrenaline we all had,” Kirsch said.
“UDA Nationals is the most elite high school dance competition so we wanted to put our best work on the floor. Backstage we were all feeling nervous, but we gave pep talks and hyped each other up. For me, after those moments, the nerves turned into excitement.”
While exhausted, the Bulldogs also excelled at IDTA state even with just a few days in between.
In the AAA Division for largest schools, they finished second in Lyrical and fourth in Open Pom. In the Junior Varsity Division, Lyons Township was the high-point winner in Lyrical high-point winner (275.1 in Lyrical) and also swept the JV Jazz and Open Pom titles.
“We were very proud of how our routines went, especially competing two routines, which is something we haven’t done in the past,” Agne said.
“We went out on that floor and performed for each other. It was so special and I’ll never forget my last time dancing with this team.”
Kirsch and Royer made history by becoming the first Bulldogs to participate in the IDTA individual competition open only to seniors.
Kirsch was among the 15 finalists out of 68 competitors and finished ninth. Kirsch said she wanted “to try something new” and had competed solo for her Beyond Words studio.
“I feel so lucky and honored to make history (for RBHS poms). I would not be here without my coaches, teachers, teammates and family,” Kirsch said.
“My goal was to give my absolute best performance as a tribute to my dance career. Making it to finals and placing ninth was the cherry on top of the experience.”