As the Owatonna Dance Team moves into the end of their season, they are proud of their season. The team has  worked through battling COVID-19, bonding with teammates and hosting their first home competitions. Moving into the Big 9 tournament and sections the team has high expectations as they have seen their scores rise through competitions throughout the early start of the dance program.

Due to COVID-19,the team has made the most of the short season and persevered through all odds. From short preparation time to the loss of the feel of actual competitions, the team has stayed strong. Coach Nicole Burgmaier said, “With a shorter season and less time to learn dances, the girls have really leaned into each other. They pulled together to build off of each other’s strengths & weaknesses!” The team has done nothing but exceed expectations in the coaches and captains eyes throughout the season. By placing first and second at many of their competitions this year.

This year the team was given the opportunity to host their first competition ever here at OHS. There is a lot more that goes into a dance competition than the actual event. The dancers and captains are held with the responsibility to make sure everything flows smoothly, and the other teams are set up for success. Coaches also play a big part by working with the athletic director to come up with a plan for the competition. Scheduling items include scheduling, finding a panel of  judges, collecting team music and creating a marking time and competition schedule. Hosting meets leaves the team busy but it is a good bonding moment and has brought the team closer. This past weekend the Huskies took second behind the Falcons at OHS. 

The team has high expectations heading into Big 9 and sections. Even though the Huskies are fairly new to the dance community, they are looking to place top five. Senior captain Emma Anderson said, “I want our team to have the best performances we’ve had at the Big Nine Competition.” The team changes practices after competition to focus on what they scored low on to make it better, which has led to their success.

The team will take the dance floor Saturday, Feb. 20 in Austin for their next competition.