Shake it Like a Pom-Pom!

Months of choreography, timing, and dancing all come together in the Blake High School gym on a freezing cold morning in the middle of nowhere. The fourteen members on the Blair Pom squad, which is a sport akin to cheerleading, but more artistic and preformed with pom poms, are about to perform in their first Division three competition of the season.

"I was excited," enthused Senior An Tran. "I had high expectations." The Blazers preformed third after the Gaithersburg and Bethesda-Chevy Chase (B-CC) teams.

The Blazers strode out in a straight line, and then walked into a perfect formation, heads down, arms at their sides. Up above, their names flashed in different colors on the scoreboard. Senior co-captain Jill Granados stepped forward did a high kick, and their routine began.

The squad had chosen time as their theme, so they danced, and kicked to clips of songs such as Muse's "Our Time is Running Out," Madonna's "Hung Up," and Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For?" The Blazers performance was very unique, including not only the trademark rocket kick line, but also used their pom-poms to create a clock which then exploded.

The girls finished with no noticeable mistakes, and walked proudly out. "I think we did really well," affirms Tran. Now they only had to wait for the judges opinions.

The rest of the event unfolded nearly as flawlessly as the Blazers performance had. The other seven teams had excellent performances that were very imaginative, including a voiceover from Forrest Gump, a drum line backup, sparkly diamonds, and recitation of a team's mission statement.

However, there were a couple goof ups. The captain of the B-CC team landed badly on her ankle in the opening, but she completed the routine with little noticeable difficulty. In addition, Clarksburg dropped a pom-pom, forcing the girl to continue with only one.

As the seventh and final team completed their routine, the crowds rose to their feet, cheering wildly.

This was not innocent cheering, however. In addition to trophies awarded to the squads, the team whose fans were the most supportive received an additional "spirit award." For this reason there were various mascots, signs, shakers, and motivators scattered throughout the crowds, most of whom were wearing their school colors. In the end the spirit award went to Gaithersburg High school, who not only had their mascot present and had supporters overflowing out of the Gaithersburg section, but had coordinators leading a wave in the crowds throughout the competition. But as the judges rose to deliver the final verdict, the gym was oddly quiet.

Backstage, confidence was high. "I thought we were going to win," smiles Nathaly Lobo. Even competing team Clarksburg felt confident in the Blazers impending success.

Alas, as the teams were announced and the trophies distributed, the results were not as favorable as hoped. Blair placed fourth, behind Gaithersburg, Clarksburg, and Springbrook, who stole first.

Though disappointed, the team was not discouraged. "Last year we placed seventh," states Tran, who has high hopes for their next competition.

The Blazerettes, though they didn't get the fame and glory, still feel they had an excellent performance and that the competition really brought the team together. "We were prepared and together," states Lobo proudly.

The team feels that with a little more work their routine will be unbeatable, so come out and support them at Northwestern High School on February seventh!