WMS team places first in Jazz
The Waupaca Middle School dance team attended the WACPC JAM State Championships Jan. 21 at Sheboygan South High School and returned home with a state title.
The 24-member team won the Jazz Division and also placed fifth in the Pom competition.
Molly Doray coaches the team, which includes eighth-graders Alayna Abhold, Elizabeth Boehnlein, Erica Byers, Grace Ellie, C’era Gustke, Ellia Hollman, Faith Koch, Hope Koch, Mackenzie Koehl, Adalynn Melk, Makiya Wanty, Sarah Zelinske, Mayson Hoepner, Serena Schulke and Bailey Chelberg; seventh-graders Madeline Hollman, Faith Nendza, Chloe Marcom, Katrina Shaw, Grace Wanty, Kaylee Buck and Terry Schneider; and sixth-graders Allison Wolff and Reagan Leech.
“Middle school dance programs are very competitive and full of talented teams, so when we received our fifth-place award for Pom, we were thrilled to be recognized as one of the top five Pom teams in the state,” Doray said.
“The Waupaca Middle School dancers are a very dedicated and hard-working team,” she said. “We practice five days a week for two hours a night, starting in September and going through January. This is a very demanding schedule especially for middle schoolers, but these girls commit their time and energy to their team.”
The team attended four other competitions during the season.
“We have a larger team than in the past, with 15 of our 24 dancers being eighth-graders who will move on from the middle school next year,” Doray said. “This was such an amazing championship win for this group to receive because so many of them have been together now for three years on this team and it’s their last year together.”