The St. Louis Varsity Pompon team traveled to Saginaw Valley State University Feb. 4, 2024, competed in the Michigan Poms Association Competition, and took fourth place.
The MPA is a competition that allows athletes to compete against teams across the state. There is tons of hard work and dedication that goes into competing in this competition. Coach Kaydee Komperda stated, “We have been constantly preparing for the competition by working on the routine. Whether that be giving corrections, repeatedly going through the moves to achieve muscle memory, and always doing endurance (doing the routine two-three times in a row) at every practice to build stamina.” Coach Komperda is new this season, but she has already helped her team achieve great things.
Freshman Aaliyah Velazco talked about the competition mentioning, “Overall I think the competition went pretty well. We just got in our heads a little.” Velazco is new to Poms, but she doesn’t show it in her performance.
The competition was tough, and fourth place was a big accomplishment for the team. Coach Komperda said, “I was very pleased we received fourth place! It was even more exciting knowing we were only one point away from receiving third place. I’m so happy that they did so well, and that they have improved so much since High Kick where they received eighth place. That is a major jump and such an accomplishment. I’m very proud of the team!” The team is making great progress, and this competition was another testament to that.
This competition was a stepping stone for the state finals coming up. Coach Komperda added, “With the State Championship right around the corner, we are definitely feeling the nerves as this is what we have been working towards all season. We want to prove to everyone that we deserve to be in the finals and we can’t wait to see what we place!” With the time and effort the athletes have been putting into the state championship competition, the team is ready to show the best of their talent.
The team will be back in action on Feb. 11, 2024, where they will be competing for the state title.
