Competing at the National Dance Team Competition (NDTC) is nothing new for the Pink Panthers, but this year they were able to take it to a whole new level. The first step to competing at the NDTC was to qualify. In July, the team competed at a UDA camp and earned a superior rating for their home routine. This initially qualified the Panthers for the National Dance Team Competition. The team decided to take two routines (a pom routine and a hiphop routine) to Nationals-- something that had not been done before in the history of the Pink Panther program.
When competing in Florida, the Pink Panthers had to compete in semi-finals for both categories. After semi-finals, only about half of the teams move on to finals. Norfolk has never moved past the first round in program history. The team performed their pom dance on Friday evening. Later that night, all of the teams that competed in Large Varsity Pom were gathered at The Stadium at Disney and finalists were read one by one.
“It was the most nerve-wracking time you could imagine. In this one moment we would find out if all of our hard work had paid off or if we were done. To hear the announcer say ‘Norfolk High School’ was the most unbelievable feeling in the world. We have a video showing the team's faces as our name was called and it just brings instant tears to your eyes because you can see the pride and excitement in everyone's face. That moment was history for our program,” said Head Coach Kaitlyn Merchant.
Once the excitement settled, the team realized how much work they still had to do. They not only had to compete in the semi-finals of hiphop the following day (Saturday), but they would now have to turn around and perform their pom in the finals an hour and a half after. That meant late night practice, some last minute changes, and a lot of costume organization. Saturday the team geared up to compete hiphop. Then it was time to switch gears and focus on pom. After their performance in pom finals, the team had to again switch gears and head back to The Stadium to hear hiphop finalists announced.
“I never would've thought that the excitement and pride from Friday night could be recreated, but it was the exact same feeling when the announcer named Norfolk High School as a Large Varsity HipHop finalist. Again, school history was being made in that moment,” said Merchant.
The team then had to head back to the Field House for Pom Awards, a moment that was surreal for a lot of the team. They were on stage with the best teams in the nation. “To hear our name called out for 13th place was incredible- completely indescribable. There was a lot of excitement and so many happy/proud tears,” said Senior Maryn Mead.
That excitement, however, would not end there. Following their hiphop finals performance, the team anxiously awaited the results, which would not disappoint. In the end, not only was this the first time the Pink Panthers had taken a hiphop dance to nationals, but they had also placed 10th in the nation among so many incredible dance teams.
“They were determined to be successful, and it paid off with two NDTC trophies and memories for a lifetime. We are so thankful for our families and our community that supported us on our journey to nationals. We wouldn't have been this successful without them. This team is incredibly special because they have such big aspirations and they are willing to work for them,” expressed Merchant.
Team Members are:
Seniors: Maggie Merritt, Maryn Mead, Cloe Klein, Kailyn Storovich, Kaitlyn Bos, Bri Sharp, and Sydney Easland
Juniors: Josslyn Hubbard-Thomas, Addy Bohm, Noah Schmidt, Leiah Hardy, Amber Juhlin, and Grace Ellis
Sophomores: Elly Stanton, Kadia Carriker, Allie Kruse, Kaylee Hinze, and Cassidy Clausen
Freshmen: Kate Merritt
Coaches: Kaitlyn Merchant, Amanda Gesell, and Molly Meysenburg
