BHS dance team captures State championship
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Photos by Rick Nation and Ginie Darlene Herring
With first-place ratings in all three categories — Jazz, Hip Hop and Pom — the Bryant[more] High School varsity dance team captured the Class 7A State championship at Bryant Middle School on Saturday.
Members of the team include senior captains Mary Catherine Huffman, Haley Blumfelder, Meredith Herring, Lauren Hall, Shelby Arnoldy, Ariane Arroyo, Aubrey Crockett and Kelsey Rivers; juniors Marley Cole, Haley Trantham, Sarah Curry, Autumn Hurley; and sophomores Monica Perry, Jessica Kooiman, Lexi Summers, Jayme Rash, Olivia Bowden Kianna Ellithorpe and Danielle Mashburn.
“I’m very proud of my girls this year,” said Coach Laura Wooten. “This year’s team is extremely passionate about dance. We set goals at the beginning of the year and have worked hard to remind each other daily of those goals.
“We have had some injuries during our competition season that required us to make some changes to our routines,” she noted. “Through those changes we talked about being physically and mentally prepared. They had to really come together as a team and become mentally tough.
“I have a great group of seniors who have been fantastic role models on and off the court,” Wooten emphasized. “They will continue to lead the team as we go on to compete at Nationals in February. I would like to thank everyone who came to support us Saturday. It was truly a great day to be a Bryant Hornet.”
Nationals are held annually in Orlando, Fla.
