The bus buzzes with excitement as the Tompkins Crimson Cavalettes travel to their next competition of the season in Dallas, Texas. The girls can be seen marking their dances in their seats, quietly whispering eight counts as the music blares through their headphones. They have been perfecting these dances since the beginning of the season and are ready to showcase them for the judges. Juniors Valerie Clemente and Ryley Martin are two of the many dancers who are eager to arrive the their competition.
“We went to a dance competition in Dallas this past weekend. For our whole group we got 3rd place overall, but 1st place in the extra large group division. Our officers won 1st for the officer dance category, and our social committee got 1st in their category as well,” said Clemente.
The Cavalettes have been working extremely hard this season to bring home big wins for their program. This has truly been a breakout season for the girls, bringing home three grand champion awards in one weekend. This success, however, is not without hard work.
“We have practice most days after school. Our officers and social committee have it almost everyday during the week and sometimes weekends. Competition season is very busy, and we are usually at school until about 6 p.m. or later. It is a lot of work, but it is worth it,” said Martin.
Between football season and competition season, there is very little downtime for the Cavalettes. During football season, they practice their routines for their weekly halftime shows, and immediately after they start competitive choreography for competitions. With the season drawing to a close, the girls hope to end it with a bang this weekend.
“This weekend we travelled to Atascocita High School in Humble, TX for our last competition. With all the success we had last weekend, we really hoped to pull off more grand champion awards with our dances. The only sad part, however, is the fact that it was our last time competing with the seniors,” said Clemente.
The Cavalettes won big once again this weekend with another first place social committee win and another 3rd overall group. These wins, however, were a bittersweet moment for the girls. The final competition of the season means that it was the seniors’ last time dancing together with the program.
“The seniors are our leaders, and we look up to them a lot. They are awesome role models and help us not only with dancing but with personal issues and help us grow as people as they guide us through high school,” said Martin.
Reflecting on the season, Martin notes the impact the seniors have had on not only her but many of the Cavalettes. They are sad to see their leaders leave, but they will always remember the valuable lessons they have taught them. As their season draws to a close, they hope to accomplish their goals to win multiple first place awards this weekend.
