In Sync

By: Isabella Martinez and Jaylee Holland

“Pueblo County Dance Team!” 
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On January 29 through February 2, 2025, in Orlando, Florida the dance team from PCHS flew out to compete in the nationals competition. 
The team is entering into the competition in fourth place in their division, Intermediate Pom, and eleventh in the category Game Day. 
PCHS’s dance team has worked its way up the ranks from halftimes at football games to nationals in Florida. The dance team is separated into two categories, JV and Varsity. The season continues all year long with a two-month break. Tryouts are at the end of March, and the open gym starts in May. 
Once summer hits, there are practices every week preparing the team for the Universal Dance Association (UDA) camp, which usually takes place in June. In July the girls do choreo wire and learn the halftime routines as well as Pom and Game Day competition routines. From then on every month is working to prepare for competitions; it’s comp season. 

Senior Ava Tucci says, “The process of being at nationals is the absolute best. Normally, we get there if we are lucky enough to secure a spot on the Practice Marley at ESPN. (This is a specialized floor just for dancing).  We will go and practice our routines and spend a day at Disney. It kinda works out … the worse we do in comp, the more Disney time we get, and the better we do, the less time we get! For this year's nationals in particular we got less Disney time because we competed on every day we could compete!”

Once nationals happened they placed eleventh for game day which is huge since last year they didn’t place for that dance. In the Pom category, they placed fourth, six places higher than last year. PCHS’s dance team is fifth in the nation, they are truly making a name for themselves. 

Tucci explains, “If I’m being honest when we weren’t 8th, 7th 6th, or 5th I was absolutely freaking out. It was the most grateful and intense feeling I have ever felt knowing my team and I were 4th in the nation after already making 11th in a category we didn’t even place in last year! It was a filling only a dancer can describe.”

The varsity team is full of talent and drive, it is one of the hardest sports out there. The requirements for trying out are a mixture of turns and flexibility pieces. PCHS has only been to nationals twice for dance and they soaked up every second of it. Their coach, Ursaline Dech, truly pushes these girls to be at their best potential.

If you were thinking about trying out for this successful dance team Ava states, “I would say do it! I impulsively tried out my 8th grade year after never dancing and absolutely had to work harder for anything I have ever wanted but I would not trade or change a second of my time on this amazing team and I would do anything for one more season with my girls doing what we love so so much! So to anyone wanting to try out for this team, it will be one of the best decisions of your life! “

This team is more than just a group of girls, it’s a family. The dance team has truly built a strong bond with each other through the years. The connection will forever be remembered for these girls on and off stage.