Poms and mini poms run onto the field a few moments before their performance. Nervous and jittery, the mini poms girls stretched quickly before jumping into their choreography. “[Mini poms] would have helped me a lot, since you really practice performing in front of a crowd and getting over the social anxiety aspect of it,” senior captain Maya Giambone said.

Mini poms gather for a group photo after they finish practice. Participating in mini poms helped bond the young girls together and create long lasting friendships.

Junior captain Maya Giambone teaches choreography to the mini poms. Divided by grade, the older girls were able to learn a more complex dance for their section of the routine. “I think we really need to recruit underclassmen and get 7th-8th graders thinking about poms so they can work on their skills before they try out freshman year,” Giambone said.

Senior Chaerin Brzostowski and junior captain Meena Giambone play Duck, Duck, Goose with the mini poms. In addition to teaching dances, poms also made sure to bring game elements to the practice. “I think showing practice is fun and that we play games is important,” junior captain Maya Giambone said.

Junior Celia Herman plays with a mini poms in-between routines. The mini poms were able to experience what it is like to be apart of a competitive dance team at WJ, from practices to team spirit to performing with the older girls.

Mini poms learn part of the choreography for their on-field performance. Each age group performed a different section of the song, “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz. “It was really fun to teach them and to watch their thought processes when they learned their routines,” senior captain Lila Leavey said.

Senior Moxie Maloney sits with a mini poms during the Tuesday night practice. During the practices there were plenty of opportunities for the poms to connect with the young girls one-on-one. “My group was the smallest, it was K-1st and they were very energetic and it was really cute,” senior Xenia Monti said.

Senior captain Lila Leavey leads the conga line at the end of the practice. In preparation for the performance during the football game, the poms led a two hour practice to teach the choreography and bond with the girls. “It feels really empowering and awesome to be able to impact young dancers and have them have people to look up to,” Leavey said.

Senior Xenia Monti leads a cheer during the game with the mini poms. “It felt really good…I feel like they learned some performative skills,” Monti said.