Edmond Memorial High School’s renowned Pom team competed at state Dec. 8-10, and returned with the gold and the title of State Champions for the third year in a row. Additionally, the judges awarded them the first ever “Grand Champions” after their awards in teams as well as individual competitions.
For the first time this year, the Oklahoma State Dance Team Directors Association decided to extend the state competition to three days instead of just the weekend. Solo competitions were held on the first day, but on the second day, the judges named the champions of each genre of dance in each class with EMHS in the 6A class. The next day the champions competed against each other on Sunday for the title of Grand Champion.
“It was just awesome,” Emerson Holden, Pom team captain said. “I mean that’s the only way you can feel, we weren’t really expecting it at all.”
The team prepared vigorously for the competition and clearly the practice paid off. The practices began in the summer with a state choreography coach and a technique coach that breaks down the small details of the dance. Additionally the girls practiced two to three times a week before school and practiced even more during the week leading up to the competition.
“For them to get this kind of recognition and this kind of honor for as much as they’re put into this program, it’s just really special,” head coach Teri Ogle said.
However, this was not the only big win of the weekend. Senior dancer Brielle McCoy brought home the title of Senior Solo State Champion after beating out the competition. Out of 11 qualifiers from hundreds of girls that competed from all over the state, McCoy won first place.
“I couldn’t even believe it at first because there was just so much talent,” McCoy said. “All of the preparation that went into it, it just made it feel like it was all worth it.”
Another group title that went to EMHS was the 6A Jazz Runner Up. The EMHS Pom squad fell short of West Moore last year and fell once again this year. Yet to make up for the loss, EMHS gained another award, unlike the others. This year Holden won the Community Impact scholarship for her work in the community over the years. She has worked with the foster care system and is on a board called Citizens Caring for Children as well as working with Lions Meadows of Hope.
“I’ve been working on community service since I was young with my parents and on my own,” Holden said. “It was just really cool that I got to be recognized for that.”
In addition to all of these incredible individual awards, EMHS is also honored to have contributed six of their dancers to this year’s All State team. The Bulldog representatives at All State were Emerson Holden, Emerson Krisher, Meredith Mitchell, Camille Baker, Allison Wright and Caris Attebery.
“We had more dancers [on the All-State team] than any other school in the state,” Ogle said. “It means that of the 42 best dancers in the state, six of them are Bulldogs. To even be recognized as an All-State dancer is a very big deal.”
EMHS’s Pom team put everything they had into their competition, and all of their hard work paid off. The team seemed to have wrapped up their season perfectly, and just in time for the holiday season, putting a perfect bow on a perfect year.
Contact Macey Thaxton at [email protected]
