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It was a successful day on Saturday, Jan. 29, for all of the dance teams in Pierce County. Prescott, Ellsworth and Spring Valley are all sending at least one routine to the state championship in La Crosse on Saturday, Feb. 5. The Prescott Cardinals dance team is notorious for producing state championshipcaliber rosters year after year. This year – at least through the regional championship competition – appears to be no different than past years.

On Saturday afternoon, Prescott competed in the Division 5 Pom and Division 3 Jazz competitions. Prescott won the regional championship in both categories. For as illustrious as the Prescott dance history is, head coach Sam Marks tries to keep her girls from getting ahead of themselves.

“We are very fortunate to have an admirable history to look up to and inspire us,” Marks said. “However, we always prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and enter into the regional weekend with no expectations. Just like any sport, with or without a strong program history, any team can have a good or bad season any given year.”

For Prescott, that means putting in the work day after day and earning the results, not just expecting them. Marks went on to speak about how each team faces adversity and that nothing is promised for any team.

“Each team faces its own adversities, peaks and valleys,” Marks said. “We are always preaching to our girls that hard work and dedication are what will get you where you want to be. Our history may fuel our fire, but it does not promise our future. Us coaches are incredibly proud of our kids. We asked for their best performances to date and that is exactly what they put on the floor. Now to up that next week!”

Prescott will compete in the Division 5 Pom routine at 10:06 a.m. and the Division 3 Jazz routine at 11:16 a.m. The Cardinals also have two dancers who qualified for the All-State Solo Competition. Seniors Shayanna Stenroos and Tess Kinney will perform at 12:06 p.m. and 12:09 p.m. respectively. Ellsworth and Spring Valley

In addition to Prescott’s success at the regional dance competition, Ellsworth and Spring Valley also had routines qualify for state. The Ellsworth Panthers dance team competed in Division 5 Pom and Division 3 Hip Hop.

The Panthers placed first in Division 3 Hip Hop and second in Division 5 Pom. They also had three seniors qualify for the All-State Solo Competition in Shayla Gilbertson, Raelyn Rasmussen and Téa Hill. Co-coach Amy Hill spoke about the expectations for the regional competition in Hudson.

“We approached Saturday with the goal of advancing to state,” Hill said. “We had to be in the top half to move on and the girls definitely earned their spot obtaining a first and second place. We couldn’t have asked for anything more from them. They have it 110% and we are so proud of them. We are super excited to go and represent Ellsworth!”

Ellsworth is slated to compete in the state tournament on Saturday morning. The first event will be Division 5 Pom at 9:45 a.m. and the second event will be Division 3 Hip Hop at 1:12 p.m.

Spring Valley qualified for the Division 6 Pom event and will compete in the state tournament on Saturday, Feb. 5. The Cardinals’ routine is slated to begin at 9:14 a.m.

The Spring Valley dance team competes in the regional dance competition in Hudson on Saturday afternoon. _____________ _____________

Ellsworth seniors (L-R): Raelyn Rasmussen, Téa Hill and Shayla Gilbertson hold their All-State 2022 Finalist certificates. _________________________________

The Ellsworth dance team poses with certificates and trophies after a successful day at the regional dance competition in Hudson on Saturday, Jan. 29._________________________________

The Prescott dance team received significant applause moments after they finished their routine at the regional tournament in Hudson on Saturday afternoon. ______________________ ___