Winter sports preview 2015-2016
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Laker dancers taking a stand to start season BY ROBERT WILLIAMS
rwilliams@dlnewspapers.com
The Detroit Lakes dance team started their season at home on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the team’s only home invitational, an event that packs the Ralph Anderson Gymnasium more than any other sporting event during the year. Over 500 dancers from junior varsity and varsity teams of 16 different towns were in attendance. “It’s going to be huge,” Laker head coach Britton Ramsey said prior to the event. Nearly half of this year’s Laker team is new and others, like members of the volleyball team and swimming team, have had to crunch in practice times to get up to speed. “We have a ton of rookies,” said Ramsey. The team has two seniors in Sadie Boeckel and Nicole Leitheiser, but much of the veterans on the team are underclassmen. Last year’s team had two seniors and only one the prior year, so a youth movement is nothing new. “We’ve been young for years,” said Ramsey. This year’s junior class of six has been with the team since their eighthgrade seasons giving the Lakers an experienced group to build around. DL will compete in the 10-team Mid-State Conference split into east and west divisions and in the 16-team Section 4AA. Captains are junior Maddie Ramsey and Boeckel. Many team members comprised the Laker Cheer team during the fall season coached by Christine Borich.
LAKER girlS dance TEAM — Row 1: Mirella Grimm, Ivy Branden, Cherish Johnson, Sadie Boeckel, Maddie Ramsey, Natalie Nelmark. Row 2: McKenna Ruchti-Westrum, Chloe Dallmann, Maddison Lewis, Trisha Gebhart, Abi Skinner, Lexie VanMaldeghem, Ellenorski Seaberg. Row 3: Chenoa Vizenor, Talia AshleyVillebrun, Elise Lakin, Hope Hansen, Brianna Drewes, Megan Gilsdorf, Casey Jenson, Lexy Stearns. The cheer team allows dancers to get more experience with other aspects of dance, especially poms. “I really pushed my kids to do it,” said Ramsey. The MSHSL dance teams don’t compete in Pom or Hip Hop. “It complements our program really well,” Ramsey said. The Laker cheer team added a lot of pep to football games this fall and did so in a unique manner entertaining, as well as, engaging the crowd. Winter dance has seen its share of rule changes after the hoopla at
last year’s Class AAA kick awards ceremony, which resulted in a number of coaching suspensions. The changes also affect choreography and how team’s look at score sheet results. While the changes did not create a huge difference in how the Lakers prepare and perform, they did aid in how DL dancers decide how and what to perform. “We made a decision as a team to start choreographing for us and not for what we expect a judge wants to see,” Ramsey said. “Judge to
judge, meet to meet, you can’t please everybody. “We really made an effort to enjoy what we’re doing. Especially jazz, it’s more contemporary. We’re telling a story. We’re taking a stand on something.” Dance rides the medium between art and sport and last year’s state tournament was marred by plagiarism and a distinct lack of sportsmanship. While none of that affected the Laker dance team, the sport will certainly be going through somewhat of a rebuilding year after such a strange ending to the season. The Lakers are doing their share to combat that with team unity. “We’re having fun this year and doing things for ourselves; that seems to make a difference,” said Ramsey. One important rule change more in the realm of actual competition is knocking 30 seconds off kick performances to reduce the potential for injury. “It’s been awesome,” said Ramsey. “I love that change.” Another new change locally is bringing a junior varsity championship to the area – something that has been run in the metro area, but rarely outstate. The junior varsity championship will be held Saturday, Jan. 23. The team hosts a show Jan. 18 with all the local dance studios, showcasing all of dance in Detroit Lakes and the working relationship the school team has with those institutions. The show also features Kindergarten through sixth grade dancers who can participate in a halfday clinic and performance during the show.
Get Back in the Game
Keeping your head in the game can be difficult when you’re experiencing pain from an injury. No matter what sport you play, if an injury has left you hurt or sitting on the sidelines, we’re here to help you recover. Our team will help guide you in setting realistic recovery goals so you can get back to the activities you enjoy as quickly and safely as possible. Essentia Health St. Mary’s-Detroit Lakes 1027 Washington Avenue | Detroit Lakes 218.847.5611 EssentiaHealth.org