On Nov. 18 the PCM Dance Team members will be traveling to Wells Fargo Arena to compete in the 2021 Iowa Dance Championships. The team will be competing in three group routines and have six soloists. Although the competition will be very different this year, the team strives to win more state titles. 

Last year the team placed second in class VIII pom, first in class IV hiphop, and first in class II novelty. 

The feeling is something that I’ll never forget. It was not only one of the best moments of my life but one of the most rewarding things I have ever been a part of. The two weeks leading up to state last year we were scared, we were even told our hip hop routine was not good enough to even consider competing at the competition.  We knew it was time to really give our all and work harder than ever before. We continued practicing all the way up until the day of the competition. The whole attitude of the team was shifted.

Competing at the Well is something no one could ever prepare you for. The energy of being down on the floor is something I’d never experienced. To hear the sounds of the chanting crowd you can just feel the tension in the air. To look up and see all the crowd members cheering was unreal, it was almost as if they were in slow motion. 

Actually dancing is still a blur to me. It’s so much of an adrenaline rush; once you’re done dancing it doesn’t seem like it actually happened. 

After completing all three routines, the team and I rushed to awards after doing some fun team bonding. When we reached the floor and the ceremony started it was such a nerve racking feeling. 

What happened next was the moment I never could have even dreamed: the first time you realize you’re a state champion. All the endless 6 a.m. practices, all the time crying with your teammates, all the hours upon hours of hard work just paying off in the best possible way. I rose with pure excitement and tears in my eyes as I hugged my team. Something I will absolutely never forget.