This past weekend, the Laker Dance team traveled to Orlando, Florida to compete at the UDA National Dance Team Championship. “Our team did really well at nationals and we are so proud of our performance,” said junior Riley Matthews. 

“We placed 7th in the super large gameday category. The competition at UDA is so fierce, so we were all very excited about the outcome,” Matthews explained.

Prior to this demanding competition, the dance team practiced for several months to prepare. Matthews continued, “We all had to be 100 percent committed. We practiced so many hours and made sure every aspect of our routine was as clean as possible. We took critiques from our choreographers and made minor tweaks that made such a huge difference.” 

Sophomore Jane Grimm added, “We had many practices on late nights, long weekends, and when we were in Florida we even practiced in parking lots.” 

As a whole, the dance team is extremely pleased with their results. Matthews reflected on her freshman year as she said, “Two years ago we placed 10th in the gameday category, so it’s really rewarding to see us improve each year. We hope to continue that upward trend.”

This victory isn’t the end of their season as they have a new routine to work on for their state competition when they get back from Florida.The dedication of the team really showed in their performance and the results paid off as they will be returning to Oregon with the title of seventh in the nation.

Matthews concluded by expressing gratitude towards those who have supported the team along the way. “We would like to thank our choreographers, coaches, friends and family, our school, and everyone else that has supported us during this journey. Nationals is an experience that none of us will ever forget, and we are so grateful for the opportunity!”