DISCLAIMER: Sports Editor Lizzy Sorensen is a member of the varsity dance team. She had no involvement in the writing or editing of this piece.
The OHS dance team competed in the annual SPC Conference Meet on Jan. 16, 2020. This was the first time in many years that the competition was held at Oswego High School. They competed with many schools in the area from Minooka, Joliet, Plainfield, and more.
The OH team worked very hard to make their performance perfect. Out of the twelve different schools that competed, the Pantherettes ended up placing 8th in the competition with a score of 78.50. Minooka High School came in first, with a score of 91.10.
They performed their routine to the song “Head Above Water” by Avril Lavinge. The crowd went wild over their fluid movements and their synchronization. The OH team worked hard to perfect their performance. The SPC Conference, which stands for Southwest Prairie Conference, is a very big deal. Schools from all over the Northern Illinois area have competed in the conference for over ten years.
The team has worked on perfecting their routine since October and have practiced consistently since then. The other high schools have been working hard as well, which added some pressure to the OH team. Thankfully, not all of the team members were scared.
“I feel like I’m more excited than nervous,” sophomore Abby Sorensen said before the competition. The Pantherettes and the other high school teams warmed up and practiced before they performed. Everyone in the crowd was very supportive during their performance. Overall, the Pantherettes’s performance was full of emotion, and it was evident that they had worked hard on it.
For the past few years, the conference was held at other venues, sometimes hours away. That often makes it difficult for people to commute to the competition. This is the first time in years that the competition has been held at Oswego High School. This made their performance all the more special and led to more opportunities for friends and family of the Pantherettes to watch them perform.
“We’ve been trying to get everyone that we know to come out here just because its close,” said junior Angela Perez. By spreading the word, they helped bring plenty of their family members and friends to the conference. By the time that the Pantherettes went to perform at 7:30, the main gym was packed with OH students there to support their friends on the team.
The Pantherettes finished strong, and the crowd loved their performance. Despite ranking 8th, they were very appreciative of their score. They had clearly shown to the audience their skill and passion for dancing.
