The St. Louis Pom Pon team competed in the High Kick Competition Nov. 5, 2023, at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan, for the first time in 10 years!
The Sharks placed eighth in the Small Varsity High Kick Division, consisting of teams that held eight to 10 people. The High Kick Competition is where teams pick a theme and perform a hip-hop/dance number. The theme that St. Louis picked was Powerpuff Girls. Sophomore Gracie Lombard stated, “Our coach asked us to give her ideas. I gave her a few ideas, and Powerpuff Girls was one of them.” Those who performed as the character Blossom were Elizabeth Burt, Kaya Munoz, and Elizabeth Starry. Gracie Lombard, Aaliyah Velazco, and Kaylie Lassen dressed as Bubbles, and finally, McKenzie Smith, Ava Frost, and Brielle Leonard went as Buttercup.
To perform at High Kick, teams need to have a routine with 40 minimum waist or higher kicks involved. With that being said, these competitions are long and strenuous. However, Lombard summed up the competition by saying, “I think it went pretty well because it’s our first competition of the season. I think it’s going to prepare us for the rest of the season, and I think it was good considering it was our first high kick ever. I think it prepared us for next year. Now that we know what it is and we know what it’s like, we will have a better idea for next year.” Additionally, Frost commented on the day by stating, “It went good despite our outcome.” Smith added, “I think it went good, and our costumes looked cute.”
For the girls, there was more to the competition than just competition. In fact, Lombard remarked, “I liked watching the other teams, especially the large varsity. They were really good, and the largest team had 23 people.” The majority of the team agreed and liked watching the other high school and collegiate teams perform.
The team’s next performances will be regionals and basketball halftimes, so be on the lookout for more details regarding those dates.
