For many teams, the Dance/Drill season begins in September and ends in March.
Competitions occur during the OSAA winter season, but many coaches, dancers and teams are hard at work months before the first dancers take the floor at the first competition.
Many work over the summer as well with technique classes, parades, and dance camps. Dance/Drill is the longest season of all the sports for sure, and the OSAA winter season doesn't officially come to a close until the dancers take a final bow at the Salem Pavilion.
All the hard work and long hours came to fruition on Friday and Saturday.
The category style championship format has been in effect since 2023, and teams can take up to two routines to the championship if qualification parameters are met. The category possibilities are Traditional, Show, Pom, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Kick. This year Kick did not have any entries, so was eliminated from the list.
If a category upholds the five team minimum, then the classification and category will remain independent between 1A-4A, 5A, and 6A. If the number falls below five teams, the category and classifications will be combined in some way. As has been the trend, many of the 1A-4A and 5A categories had to combine to a larger category due to not having the five team minimum, and the Show category was one mighty group with six teams.
Friday (1A-4A, 5A, and Show):
On Friday, fans braved the wind and torrential rain as they stood in line for hours before doors opened to spectators. Inside, teams from the 1A-5A categories and Show categories practiced their routines and prepared for the final performances of their beloved routines.
Once the doors opened, the energy was electric and excitement was in the air. An OSAA illuminated banner and black drapes framed the performance area, giving the stage a sense of grandeur and importance. Over the next several hours, final performances would radiate from the discreet basketball court flanked in navy blue.
As the audience took their seats and settled in, the ever-so-dedicated Show category prop pops (parents who help with show team props) and OSAA staff were seen wiping puddles from the damp floor due to rain leaking into the Salem Pavilion at the Oregon State Fairgrounds, and dripping onto the court. Not a problem for horses, but certainly not ideal for dancers. Careful attention to the matter helped create a safe space for all of the passionate performances.
Canby kicked off the event with their Show Category routine, Echoes of Illumination. The tight race in the Show Category this season revealed a first time win for Sprague when all was said and done. Clackamas and Canby followed in placements respectively, with light hearted and fun, deeply dynamic, and ever-so thoughtful themes from all Show Category entries. Sprague’s routine, Pause, Press Play, certainly deserves a moment of pause, as this is Sprague’s first state championship win, cleverly pressing pause on the historic Clackamas/Canby stronghold within the category.
Also among the opening categories for Friday was the Traditional Category (1A-5A), with a packed line-up of eleven teams. Valley Catholic smoked the competition and held on to their uninterrupted first place run this season. This is Valley Catholic’s third state championship win in this category since the category style championships began.
Behind The Charisma’s remarkable lead, Silverton, Canby, South Albany, and West Albany followed in the podium placements respectively, with some creative routines that had scores so close you had to check some of the decimal points to find the divide.
Valley Catholic’s Traditional routine, Losing my Grip, received the highest score of the day (89.81) in the most densely packed category for Friday’s event. Valley Catholic also received the second highest score of the day (89.44) with their passionate Jazz routine, Wilted.
Jazz (1A-5A) was also combined, not having enough teams in each classification to divide the groups between 1A-4A and 5A. Valley Catholic managed to create a significant gap in scores in this category as well, with Astoria, Silverton, and Lebanon following in the placements respectively. This is also the Valley Catholic’s third win at the OSAA Championships in Jazz in as many years. If you are counting, that is six state titles in three years for Valley Catholic.
Also a combined category for 1A-5A was Pom. With seven teams qualifying in this category, Lebanon took top honors. Lebanon’s routine titled, Perfect Storm, was followed in placements with fun routines by Parkrose, Marshfield, and Wilsonville respectively.
The only category with enough qualifying teams in each group to establish separate 1A-4A and 5A divisions was Hip Hop. Parkrose’s routine, Queens Wear Crowns, is a first-time win in this 5A category, and Astoria took top honors among the 1A-4A crews. Keeping Parkrose on their toes was South Albany and West Albany, coming in second and third. Trailing Astoria for 1A-4A, within a one point range, was Pendleton with second place, and Scappoose landing third.
Friday’s closing festivities included a performance and amedal presentation by the 2025 All State team, drill down, Grand Finale performance, and awards.
Drill down had quite a multi-layered process to find a top six for 1A-4A and 5A. Finalists from first through sixth place for 1A-4A were as follows: Tony Willingham (Pendleton), Cierra Brown (Scappoose), Zoey Lucas (Valley Catholic), Elizabeth Burriel (Philomath), Alyssa Pindell (Scappoose), and Ellie Geesy (Pendleton).
For the 5A drill down, after several nuanced drill-offs for various placements, the first through sixth place finalists were as follows: Ruby Nunley (Parkrose), Onika Hernandez (Wilsonville), Kylie Crawford (Parkrose), Hayley Vinogradoff (Silverton), Makenna Lewellen (Thurston), and Brooklynn Rhodehamel (Wilsonville).
Dance & Drill Coaches Association (DDCA) presented their awards and scholarships for the 1A-4A and 5A honorees on Friday. Academic Scholarships included Sophia Nguyen (Valley Catholic) and Brooklyn Barnes (Lebanon). Top scoring All State dancers were also recipients of a DDCA Dance Scholarship. 1A-4A and 5A Dance Scholarship winners included Isabella Poe (Astoria), Rachel Dang (Valley Catholic), Gabriella Walker (Canby), Isabella Baker (South Albany), and Jack Hurley (Silverton).
Among some of these scholarships for 5A dancers and students, the first annual McKenzie Clemmons Tribute Scholarship Fund, helped provide the scholarships for these wonderful dancers and students. A beautiful way to honor the memory of McKenzie Clemmons (former Thurston coach and part of the DDCA family for many years).
Danielle Schneider, head coach at Parkrose and DDCA Board Chair, received the DDCA Service Award for her fantastic work with the DDCA Board.
Saturday (6A):
Saturday began much like Friday did, minus the monsoon. Again, eager fans lined up early to grab some good seats for the action, and teams were in the building at dawn for practice and preparations.
Without any of the minor delays in Show team complexities, the flow on Saturday was quick and efficient, blazing through the 6A categories that included Jazz, Hip Hip, Pom, and Traditional.
The largest category of both Friday and Saturday was Traditional. Eleven teams on Friday (1A-5A) and twelve teams on Saturday (6A) made the category quite electric.
Tualatin and Clackamas had two unique Traditional routines that stood above the rest among the 6A group. By a hair, Tualatin’s routine,You Say, landed slightly above Clackamas’ Here. When one-tenth separates two teams between first and second place, you know the competition was good.
Tualatin’s win is the first time this team has earned a Dance/Drill state title. Following Tualatin and Clackamas on the podium were Lakeridge, Sprague, and Lincoln respectively.
Another dynamic division was Jazz (6A). Lake Oswego maintained their title here, taking the category for the second year in a row with their routine, Not on Me. Tualatin also held their second place status in this category for another year. Sam Barlow and Sunset rounded out the Jazz awards for the season, landing in the third place and fourth place positions.
As always, Hip Hop brings the energy and fun, with Sherwood taking the category for the second year in a row. Sherwood's routine titled, Divergent, was followed in placements by Westview, Forest Grove, Lakeridge, and West Linn.
Sherwood had a fantastic night, as they also took home the Pom championship with their routine. Sherwood's performance of Total Knockout received the highest score, and the unofficial and uncalibrated bragging rights of “grand champs” with a remarkable 94.03. Pom may have been the most anticipated and dynamic category for 6A, as two former champions were battling it out for the top spot.
Lake Oswego’s Pom routine, As If!, was full of surprises and included a risky reveal of a second set of surprise poms from their “school girl” backpacks. Sherwood’s routine was deeply polished and clean, performed to near perfection. Following these two dynamic teams in placements were Mountainside and Westview.
Just like Friday, Saturday’s event ended with an All State Team performance, drill down, Grand Finale, and awards. Drill down had some exciting final drill-off moments between teammates to establish a top six. Winners from first place to sixth place were Phoebe Howarth (Cleveland), Gabriella Fields (Cleveland), Naomi Hamlin (Sprague), Layla Cassidy (Sprague), Bella Terzhenbach (Sprague), and Clara Sameck (Lincoln).
Top scoring All State dancers receiving DDCA Dance Scholarships were, Arianna Kennett (Sherwood), Madison Chambers (Tigard), Makena Hammond (Lake Oswego), and Lexi Prouser (Sherwood).
All of the DDCA Diversity Scholarships were awarded to 6A dancers, and included Madison Chambers (Tigard), RoanneJellr Monzon (Cleveland), and Mailea Sass (Mountainside). DDCA Academic Scholarship winners announced on Saturday were, Mailea Sass (Mountainside), Brooke Rinard (Sam Barlow), Kate Nagel (Clackamas), and Eva Ujifusa (Clackamas).
DDCA Lifetime Achievement honorees were announced Friday and Saturday night as well. Joining a powerful list of former Dance/Drill coaches, judges, mentors, and associates, the newest inductees included Karalee Kyllo (current head coach at West LInn and DDCA Board member), Sue Anne Williams (former coach and steadfast dance/drill contributor and personality), and Coralie Rose (former Sprague coach and DDCA contributor). The DDCA Lifetime Achievement Award honors each inductee’s consistent and noteworthy dance team contributions and efforts within the DDCA community over many years.
As 1A-5A trends commonly cause classifications/categories to combine on a regular basis, only three teams from 1A-4A were the recipients of a state category title (Valley Catholic earning two of them), and only two teams from 5A were the recipients of a category title. The 6A teams were the recipients of five category titles. The equity issues seem to remain an area of concern, but hopefully can be partially solved when and if more dance/drill teams join the rosters in the future.
And that's a dance team wrap for the 2024/2025 season. In about a month, all the coaches and dancers will get antsy and impatient and start to plan their tryouts, summer training, and new routines for the 2025/2026 season. Frankly, this dance team "journalist" and coach is all in and ready for another crazy ride.
healeyjamesr@gmail.com
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