On Feb. 13 and 14, the Riverside Brookfield High School Varsity Poms team competed at the Illinois Drill Team Association (IDTA) State Competition in Springfield, IL. They took home second place in the 3A lyrical division and fourth in the 3A poms division. RB also had two seniors, Emelia Royer and Isabella Kirsch, dance in the solo competition.
After attending the Universal Dance Association (UDA) summer camp at Northern Illinois University, performing in football games in the fall, and dancing at the National Dance Team Championships (NDTC) in Orlando, FL, the Pupettes successfully ended their long season at state. This year, the team chose to perform two routines: lyrical and poms.
“They really complement each other,” said coach Tia Sherman. “The poms routine is so energetic and sharp. The girls bring a lot of fun and attitude to it. Then the lyrical routine is softer, so it was really cool to just see the girls bond through more of an emotional connection.”
Sherman, a math teacher at RB, has been the varsity poms coach for three years. She was a dancer on the RB poms team when she was in high school and later went on to dance at DePaul University. With her experience, Sherman helped the girls choreograph their poms routine. Similarly, RB alumna Nina Zoppi, who also danced at RB and is not attending DePaul University, has helped the team choreograph the lyrical routine for the past few years. These women helped the girls perform the best routines possible and have a successful season.
“I love working with the girls,” Sherman said. “They are truly just wonderful young ladies. They are all academically strong students, and they’re so driven and have so many personal goals for themselves. I love watching our team grow and bond throughout the season.”
Not only does Sherman love working with the girls, but the dancers on the team create close bonds with one another. Senior Olivia Krzystofiak has been on the varsity poms team since her junior year and has been competitively dancing since freshman year at Beyond Words Dance Company. She enjoys the community of the team and works to balance school and dance.
“I think that the community that we form with each other and all the good friendships that we’ve grown into is my favorite part of the team,” Krzystofiak said. “Honestly, balancing the schedule with dance and school can be stressful at times, but we overcome it.”
Another member of the team, Isabella Kirsch, performed as a soloist at the competition. Kirsch has been dancing from a young age and now dances competitively at Beyond Words Dance Company as well. She choreographed and chose the music for her solo routine with help from her coach.
“It was really cool doing it [choreographing] for poms and representing the school and seeing the state floor from a different perspective,” Kirsch said. “I think it was over winter break in my room when I choreographed it, but then I practiced and worked on it by myself and with my coach a little bit. It felt like a good tribute to my dance career overall because state was our last competition with all the girls I’ve been dancing with for forever.”
After making it to finals, Kirsch placed ninth place out of 68 dancers. She enjoyed her last performance with her team and as a soloist. Having been a part of the team for all four years, she has enjoyed all the people she has been able to meet.
“My favorite part about being on the team is the sense of community and my friendships with all the girls,” Kirsch said. “I love being on a team, and the poms team is just so special.”
