The poms successfully ended their 2007-08 season by placing in the top two in two of their competitions. The squad’s “Danger”-themed routine won first place at the Green and Gold competition and second place at the Northwest competition, along with the Best Choreography award. The girls, however, did not place at the counties competition, despite competing against all the same teams they had previously beaten.

The team faced many new challenges this year. They started the season without a coach, eventually hiring Dara Feldman, the mother of senior captain Dani McCormick, to step in. Feldman was supposed to be a temporary replacement, but became permanent when no other coach was available and the girls wanted her to stay.

“[Coaching the squad] was six of the most rewarding months,” said Feldman. “I got to work with amazing young women and to watch Dani in a leadership role doing something she really loves.”

More problems the girls had to face involved finding a space to practice. Due to renovations, they had to go most of the season without a gym to practice in, using the cafeteria or the Tilden Center gym, making it more difficult to space out their routine.

“It’s a miracle we accomplished so much seeing as we probably had about a third of the time in the gym that other squads did,” said McCormick.

McCormick, along with fellow captains senior Lindsay Guber and junior Kristina Taylor, created the seven-part dance together. To ensure plenty of practice time, the team begins choreographing their routine months before the competition.

“Routines often don’t look the same on the squad as they do in your head, and you have to choreograph to your squad’s skill level, creating a struggle between what you want to do and what you can do,” said McCormick.

Despite the letdown at counties, the girls don’t feel bad about the way their season ended. McCormick feels like the team accomplished a big goal: successfully entertaining the crowd.

“Each year we hear, ‘you guys always do the same thing’ or ‘do that cool wave thing with your poms.’ But this year we wanted to surprise the crowd while letting our girls prepare their skills for competition,” said McCormick.

It feels good for McCormick and other four-year seniors to see how far they have come since freshman year.

“It feels amazing to look back and know we successfully willed such a phenomenal squad into existence,” said McCormick.