The OCU pom/dance team recently earned their fifth consecutive NAIA Southwest Qualifier title.
The Stars competed at the NAIA Southwest Qualifying Group Competitive Dance Championships Feb. 20 at Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center.
The team finished the tournament with a score of 85.37, earning them the first place title ahead of Bethel (Kan.), York (Neb.), Kansas Wesleyan (Kan.) and Bethany (Kan.).
The team will now advance to the competitive pom/dance NAIA Championships for the eighth year in a row.
Tasha Hinex, head pom/dance coach, said she is proud of the win but believes the team can still improve.
“We’re not going to stop pushing to get to the best position that we can,” Hinex said.
Hinex said the team faced cancelled practices due to the 2021 U.S. cold snap.
“I knew this past week was going to be kind of scary, so I scheduled a practice Saturday before the storm came in to make changes and see what we could improve,” Hinex said.
Ally Setser, biomedical science freshman, said the team worked hard to stay focused on the upcoming tournament, despite the weather-related setbacks.
“Luckily, we were able to practice Thursday and Friday before the competition, which gave us some good practice,” Setser said. “We also sent videos to a Facebook group to be critiqued by our coach throughout the week.”
Setser said the team made last minute changes to the routine after placing second in the Oklahoma City Virtual Duals and Oklahoma City Classic pom/dance competition Feb. 12.
“We added in tricks and technical skills to boost our score,” Setser said. “We also changed our turn sequence.”
The team also qualified for the 2019-2020 NAIA National Championships, but the competition was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.
“It means a lot that this year we’re anticipating actually being able to compete on the nationals stage,” Setser said.
Setser says the team has found ways to form connections and feel like a family during the pandemic.
“We had a Zoom ‘Among Us’ game night, and we have gone out to eat together,” Setser said.
Setser said the team has created some rituals to boost their confidence before they compete.
“We all lay on the ground, listen to our music, and visualize ourselves doing the routine,” Setser said. “We also do a chant right before we go out.”
Setser said this year’s team is special.
“One thing that I think is really special is that we are all really fighting and pushing to be the best we can,” Setser said. “Every time we walk into practice we give all of our energy, and work as hard as we can.”
The Stars will head to the competitive pom/dance NAIA Championships Mar. 12-13 in Ypsilanti, Mich.
For more sports updates, fans can visit the OCUSports website and the MediaOCU sports page.
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