On Feb. 4, WJ Poms took on counties at Blair High School in the Division II program. The team performed a four-and-a-half minute routine consisting of march-in, lyrical, kick, pom and hip-hop categories.

WJ Poms placed seventh in Division II alongside BCC, Wootton, Northwest, Wheaton, Gaithersburg, Richard Montgomery and Rockville Poms teams. BCC won first place, followed by Wootton winning second and Wheaton in third place. Choreographed by coaches Kaleigh Ayton and Tanya Ang and Poms captains Natalie Zaid, Stella Weiss and Alexa Steinberg, this vibrant dance brought energy and spirit to the competition after 10 weeks of rehearsing the routine.

The season started with stress coming from multiple illnesses and injuries. At one point, the whole team was sick which stunted rehearsal time. Dancer injuries piled on one another and one of the coaches had to leave for personal reasons which added to the stress. Despite these challenges, the team worked hard inside and outside of practice, coming back stronger than the week before.

“Almost every practice we would remind ourselves that whatever happened at counties happened and we had to leave it on the floor and be proud and that’s what we did,” senior Rita Bousaidi said.

This season has been fulfilling as the dancers worked together through the challenges, growing the team’s resilience. For the seniors, it is a bittersweet moment leaving their team behind, however, the team has grown strong and knowing the amount of work that was put in this season has made seniors hopeful for the future of WJ Poms. It is all about leadership and being a role model for the girls on the team. The underclassmen grow a bond with the seniors which strengthens the team dynamic.

“The season has been very special being a senior. I know this is the last time I’m gonna be dancing with this team and so I look at it in a different way,” senior captain Stella Weiss said.

The past four years have been incredibly successful for the seniors on poms, with just last year winning first place at counties. These victories and the overall team experience have created long-lasting memories for the seniors as they leave the team.

Looking forward to next year, the team is eager to get back on the floor and grow even more from the place they have been in for the past couple of seasons. Despite multiple hurdles on the team this year, there is no doubt that the team will continue to foster hard work and commitment to the WJ Poms legacy.

“I’m going to miss the seniors and the dynamic of this team, I’m looking forward to meeting the new people on the team. It’s exciting that every year is pretty different and it is fun to meet new people,” junior captain Alexa Steinberg said.