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Sports

Holy Angels, Richfield Dance Teams Prepare For Section Meet

Starliners look to advance to state in both jazz and high kick.

It’s a perennial stepping stone for the dance team. Each year the Starliners make a trip to the section meet with plans of making state.

This year is no different. With 15 of its 29 team members being seniors, Holy Angels heads to the Section 1AA meet Saturday in Albert Lea, MN anticipating another trip to the Target Center.

“We just want to go,” Coach Kelly Newlin said. “We always tell the girls it’s about doing their personal best. It’s about controlling the floor while you’re out there and doing your best.”

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For the , Saturday’s 11 a.m. meet will be a growing experience. The Tapaires, sporting no seniors on their eight-dancer team, have continued to improve throughout the season and are looking to build the program for the future under first-year coach, Alison Drummond.

“(It’s about) getting the best place we can,” Richfield sophomore co-captain Becca Lood said. “We’re trying to compete with ourselves more.”

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Both teams will meet in Albert Lea to compete against one of the most talent-filled sections in the state. All three high kick and jazz participants from Section 1AA reached the state finals a year ago—with Holy Angels taking second in high kick and sixth in jazz. Perennial powers Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Simley and Austin will also be there.

Simley coach, Jennifer Steenberg, said she thinks Holy Angels’ high kick competition is perhaps the state’s best this year. But Starliners assistant coach, Gina Thelemann, said each meet can yield different results.

“One team can beat someone one weekend, and then they can not beat them the next,” she said. “It makes it a lot more exciting as coaches and as dancers. It really is who shows up that day.”

Drummond said it’s important for her Tapaires squad to focus on improving against some of the state’s best.

“A lot of teams have bigger teams and more experienced teams; we just need to focus on having fun,” Drummond said. “We were just saying today our jazz has improved so much. It looked really great.”

Richfield co-captain Jenny Larsen said the emotion of competing at a section event is part of the experience, too.

“You can tell that sections is a huge one,” she said. “So everyone has that excitement.”

Check Patch.com on Sunday for photos and results from the Section 1AA meet.

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