A behind-the-scenes look at the Silver Stars dance team
Early morning practices and late night rehearsals are just a few elements that go into the Silver Stars’ intense training
December 12, 2022
They can be seen performing on the sidelines at football games every Friday, but the Silver Stars dance team does so much more than support the football team.
Junior Halle Wampler explains the differences between the Silver Stars’ competition routines and their halftime performances.
“At football games, typically we do our easier dances at half time because it is so hard to dance on the turf and it’s at the beginning of our season so we haven’t perfected our Nationals routines yet,” Wampler said. “At competitions we do our harder Nationals routines and they are much more difficult with more technical aspects.”
The Silver Stars compete in annual competitions like the State and National Championships where they have performed exceptionally in years past. In November, the team secured their third straight state championship title. They are also reigning national champions in the Jazz and Game Day routine categories, and are hoping to defend these titles at the National Championships later this year.
Sophomore Josie Mason, who is new to the team this year, was excited to win her first state championship with her team.
“[Winning state] feels surreal,” Mason said. “This was such a huge goal of mine and to be able to accomplish it with a group of amazing teammates and friends is such a great feeling.”
This year, the team is experiencing an unusual dynamic because the team has no seniors and there are three sets of siblings on the team.
Junior Trinity Baker comments on how the siblings contribute towards the team’s familial bond.
“[Having so many siblings] helps us be a lot closer. We all have that family bond,” Baker said. “There are jokes that are made with the sisters, but we’re all here as a team and it doesn’t really change the vibe of the team. We all love each other in the end.”
Wampler believes that the lack of senior leadership was a difficult adjustment for the team but thinks that the juniors have stepped up to fill that role.
“I think it’s been hard not having seniors because we lack that leadership effort but us juniors have kind of stepped up to fill that role and I think we’ve done a pretty good job,” Wampler said. “It’s nice because we are so close in age that it helps us have a closer team bond and be more of a family.”
Baker believes that the lack of seniors on the team allows for the team to have an even closer bond.
“[Not having seniors on the team] has been such a learning experience because we only have three years of experience as juniors,” Baker said. “We’re all doing it together which I think is great, there’s not really a top dog. Everyone’s in it together and everyone is here as a team.”
