WJ Poms may not have placed at this year’s county competition on Saturday, Feb. 7, but they still had plenty to cheer about. The Wildcats snagged the coveted Spirit Award, proving that WJ’s energy, heart and sideline support were truly a cut above the pom-petition.
Snow days did not slow the team down; if anything, they sharpened them. While many teams were adjusting to choreography until the last second, WJ had something rare this season: stability.
“This year, we actually had surprisingly few changes,” senior captain Lottie Austegard said. “We were able to get everything done the week before the snow days, so we spent the snow days really just locking in and honing our skills. We came out really strong.”
Instead of learning counts in a rush, the team used that extra time to clean formations, lock in transitions and perfect skills. By the time they stepped onto the floor at Counties, the routine was memorized.
But the performance was about more than technique.
“The inspiration was that, especially during this season, we had a lot of rough patches,” junior co-captain Maya Giambone said. “Our main goal was to prove that we are better than the things that we have gone through. We had our team changed up quite a bit during the season. So our inspiration was just trying to make ourselves feel happy and feel that even though we suffered downfalls, we were able to rise above them.”
Those rough patches shaped the story of the routine. Each section carried the energy of a team tested but refusing to break. Smiles and energy were not forced. They were genuine.
“I hope the audience remembers winning the Spirit Award because that was a lot on them,” Austegard said. “Our performance was really strong overall. I think we just had a great time.”
In a competition often dominated by powerhouse programs, the roar from the WJ section stood out. The spirit award reflected not just choreography and timing, but community.
“We were really happy. It wasn’t something that we had typically received before,” Giambone said. “Typically, our section, when compared to Damascus and Sherwood, has a big difference between how WJ parents are. But this year, people really showed out and it meant a lot to the team.”
Counties did not end with a podium award for WJ. It ended with something just as meaningful. A section of fans that showed up in full force, and a spirit award that summarized a season full of countless routines. For WJ Poms, the season closed not with a ranking, but with proof that they rose above every setback and left the floor stronger than they started.
