Finishing strong again
Bomber Dance Team takes fifthe place in the kick competition at state
BDT performs a signature move on the floor
On Saturday, February 18th, the Bomber Dance Team continued their legacy by competing at the Minnesota State High School Dance Tournament for the fourteenth consecutive year since 2003. The girls were sent off to their journey on the seventeenth by their ever loyal fans who lined the streets with signs and cheers of encouragement. While the Bombers were only participating in the kick portion of the competition, they still attended the competition to support the other dance teams as they competed with their jazz routines. Later in the evening the team enjoyed fun night of team bonding as they had a spaghetti feed at Pizza Luce to get the girls pumped up before a long day of focus.
Although the dancing doesn’t begin until noon at state tournaments, the dancers were still up before the break of dawn to prepare for the long and emotion filled day before them. By the time the hair was done, the makeup was applied, the mark times were had and the costumes were on, the Bombers were full of anticipation regarding their awaited performance. From the moment the team hit the floor they proved that they had come to deliver a performance that was out of this world. Their efforts were not for naught, because when the results came in they were announced among the six who would be advancing to finals.
And so the chaos continued. The second time on the floor was even more emotion filled for the Bombers with the knowledge that this would be the last time the group ever took the floor together before the only senior, Emma Samuelson, left the team as new faces joined.
Any pressure the girls were under only served to push their kicks further and their jumps higher, and the fans roared in praise as the dancers left it all on the floor. “I was proud of our state performance because we left everything out on the floor and we left with no regrets!” raves Samuelson.
I was proud of our state performance
— Emma Samuelson
Even though the team didn’t hear their name during awards, the Bombers were still ecstatic when their incredible rank as fifth best in the state of Minnesota was later revealed. In the end the joy of performing to their fullest potential paired with the remorse of the season being over to create a bittersweet end to the trip. “I’m definitely going to miss spending time with the team because they always made me laugh till I cried lol!” exclaims Samuelson.
Besides Lantern, Gina Grosland participates in soccer, dance, track, and BPA. She's made up of 75% water and 25% bad puns. In her spare time she enjoys...
