When thinking of high school athletic activities and competitions sports such as football, basketball and volleyball come to mind. However, a team that people often do not associate with sports is the Railiners, even though they work hard and have regular practices like all other teams.

The Railiner squad performs at all home football and basketball games, as well as at the Tournament of Champions wrestling meet, pep assemblies, Taste of Newton and other miscellaneous activities.

They alternate weeks with practice from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Monday and Thursday one week and Tuesday or Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. the next week. The squad also attends a summer camp and participates in a showcase and a yearly competition in January.

“To be on Railiners you need to have endurance, ability to work with others, patience and be able to learn routines quickly,” junior Katie Honas said. Honas has been on Railiners since her freshman year.

Railiners perform three main types of dance: pom, jazz and hip-hop. Pom dances are dances using pompoms. They perform a specific type of dance at the different sports games where they dance. During football season, they usually dance pom routines or kick dances.

“We try to do something more visible from the stands, something more flashy,” Railiners coach Tiffany Miller said.

Currently, the Railiners are transitioning from dancing at football games to basketball games. During basketball games they perform a variety of styles of dances. Since they are inside and fairly visible, they are not as limited as during football season.

An important part of the Railiners’ season is the annual competition in Olathe in January called the Kansas Spectacular. At competition they perform three different styles of dances. They have already learned one dance and will learn the next two in November and December. The girls look forward to competition as a highlight of the year.

“Competition is usually our favorite event we do during the year because we have already bonded and just have fun wrapping up our hard work,” Honas said.

Although the Kansas Spectacular is the main competition during the year, the Railiners also perform at summer camp at Emporia State, where they received awards. Team captains seniors Heather Goering and Leah Riley both got All-American, which is the highest award. The Railiners will also go to a showcase next month at Wichita North.

Freshman Claire Blann looks forward to the performances.

“Performing is a lot of fun,” Blann said. “Sometimes I feel that I don’t catch on quite as quickly, but all the girls are really good at helping me to improve.”

Railiners takes up a big part of her time, Honas said.

“Railiners is a full commitment,” Honas said. “But it is worth it because of the experiences you gain now and will have in the future.”