The Bomber Dance Team kicked off the weekend of January 30th with their performances at Kasson-Mantorville. Things looked a lot different for the girls on the team for their first go around. Masks are required during practice, along with entering, performing, and leaving the building that the competition is held at. In the past, competition was a day-long event for the girls, and has now been cut dramatically. Usually the girls are at the school by seven in the morning and not back until around six in the evening, but this year, depending on what heat (section) they are in, they are only there for four hours max. This is a big change, especially for the older girls who have done this a time or two. Other things that are different for the girls this season consist of no awards ceremony, and only three schools are allowed on site at a time. Due to these limitations, the competition is run using heats or sections of teams. Captain, Anna Becker, expresses her eager emotions on how she wishes the day was longer. Becker states that she would prefer to have a longer day at a competition so that she “has time to compose herself and get ready for each performance.”  Unfortunately, this is likely going to be the system for this season — hopefully for next year the girls will get as close to a normal season as possible. 

Although the Cannon Falls Bomber Dance team didn’t perform as well as anticipated in Kick, they did very well in Jazz. This competition was an HVL meet, along with the majority of the competitions being held this season. The girls ended up placing 3rd in Kick and 2nd in Jazz. The girls have been working very hard in and out of the gym to try and get this dance to be as perfect as possible. Obviously, with the circumstances that are held with COVID, the team is under. It’s hard for the girls to get all of the fun experiences they would encounter in a normal year, but they are doing their best to try and keep as much normality within the season as they possibly can. Junior, Matti Baird, has agreed that the dance team is making the best out of the year even with restrictions, and no matter what, the team will still have an amazing season.

Becker and Baird have helped the team out tremendously, with choreography for both Kick and Jazz, but also by encouraging the team to strive for the best. The Bomber Dance Team is excited that they will be receiving some sort of postseason. The Bomber Dance team has girls coming out for it every year, and is definitely a sport that teaches its athletes life long lessons, while also creating lifelong friendships. The next few weeks will be the toughest for this program, but they are willing to take it head on.