by Charlene Chew, staff writer
For junior Cheyenne Dewey and her 10 temmates on the Cal High song team, it was all worth it.
“The countless hours, the screaming, the yelling, the crying, the fainting, the vomiting, the physical, mental and emotional energy, it all paid off,” Cheyenne said.
The song team placed top 10 in the nation in two categories for the first time at the Universal Dance Association’s (UDA) National Dance Team Championships last month.
The team placed seventh in the Pom category and 10th in Jazz at the two-day competition Feb. 5-6 at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
“This year, we really didn’t care about placement, and made it our goal to put on a performance that we could be proud of,” said sophomore Jennifer Iversen. “As long as we were having fun, and doing as well as we could do, that’s all that mattered. Obviously that got us far.”
The girls attributed their success to hard work, but agreed they wouldn’t have been able to without their tight-knit team.
“The team is closer to me than a second family,” junior Sierra Coulson said. “I would feel comfortable telling them things I wouldn’t tell my family. I think this shows when we perform. We are much more in sync with each other.”
Song team tryouts are held in the spring. The girls then meet during the summer and practice a routine to compete at a summer camp, where they must place first to qualify for nationals.
They must then score in the top 10 in their division during pre-lims to move to semi-finals, and then in the top 24 at semi-finals to go to the UDA championships.
For coach and choreographer Toneka Webb, getting the news that they are going to nationals never fails to be exhausting, exhilarating, and ultimately rewarding.
“Most of us were sobbing on the bus ride back to the hotel,” said Jennifer. “None of us thought we would make it to semifinals in either category, let alone finals in both.”
This year was the 17th time that Cal song has made it to championships.
“The girls are determined, profoundly committed, and at the end of this, every Song leader has my respect,” said Toneka. “They put up with all my hits and could ask for another. To say they’re determined is an understatement.”
At competition this year, the girls danced to a medley of “Magical Mystery Tour” by the Beatles, “Candy Shop”, “Relax” by Frankie goes to Hollywood, “Papa’s got a Brand New Bag” by James Brown and “Parade” from Roger Rabbit in the Pom category. They danced to “Don’t Rain on My Parade” by Glee in the Jazz competition.
Senior captain Kelly Raab said a routine for events such as school games takes a couple of weeks to learn. But for nationals learning the routine takes a few months and practicing it continues until they step on stage.
Along with dance, the song girls also have to focus on school to stay on the team.
“It’s important that you are a good, solid student, it shows effort,” said Webb. “If you work hard in school, you’re probably going to work hard at everything you do.”
While it takes effort and determination, the experience as a song girl is rewarding.
“I don’t think I could imagine my life without Song,” said Jennifer. “Once you’re in, you’re in.”
