Grinnell Tiger Paws Dance Teams earns state championship in IX Pom

​      Members of the Grinnell Tiger Paws Dance Team competed at the 50th Annual Iowa State Dance/Drill Team Association’s (ISDTA) Championships, bringing home a state championship honors. Pictured are, from left, front row: Brenna Sherman and Isabelle Holden. Back row: Coach Sydney Bradford, Makenna Stahl, Farrah Pefferman Orstad, Laney LaCaeyse, MaCaeyla Snodgrass, Brooke Maschmeier, Chloe Stevenson and Emma Shawler.

By J.O. Parker
 
        The Grinnell Tiger Paws Dance Team recently participated at the 50th Annual State Dance/Drill Team Association’s (ISDTA) Championships, bringing home numerous honors including a State Championship in Class IX Pom.
          This is the third state title in Tiger Paw history and the first title in six years at the school.
          In addition, the Tiger Paws earned the following honors:
          6th Place Class V Jazz
          4th Place Class VI Hip Hop
          4th Place Class III Mix
          The team also received the academic achievement award for a cumulative GPA of 3.5-4.0.
         Dance team members include: Makenna Stahl, Farrah Pefferman Orstad, Laney LaCaeyse, MaCaeyla Snodgrass, Brooke Maschmeier, Chloe Stevenson, Emma Shawler, Brenna Sherman and Isabelle Holden. The Dance Team Coach is Sydney Bradford.
        "I am incredibly proud of this group of dancers and their hard work and dedication to the team and these routines,” noted Coach Sydney Bradford, who is in her fourth year coaching the dance team.  “To watch them at State execute each routine the best they ever had was so fun to watch as a coach and seeing their hard work pay off by becoming State Champions is just icing on the cake! They are the hardest working athletes with the longest season of any sport at the high school and yet they show up every day with positivity, determination and such a passion for dance and their teammates! I am proud to be their coach! Now we shift gears to get ready for Nationals in February."
        More than 250 high school and college teams with 5,000 plus dancers perform more than 600 routines in the three days of competition, Dec. 3 - 5, at Casey’s Center in Des Moines, making this the largest state dance competition in the United States.
        Teams are divided into classes based on school enrollment. They are evaluated and judged by industry professionals from all corners of the United States. Teams are divided into classes based on school enrollment.      
            The Tiger Paws Dance Team did not qualify for nationals, but will be attending the event, Feb. 4 – 10.