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closeJaguars dance squad performs admirably
Emerald Ridge coach Jenni Muehlenbruch is already readying her team for the upcoming 2008-09 season
Shaun Scott
The Emerald Ridge Jaguars dance squad took another step on its road to stardom this past school year.
Jaguars head coach Jenni Muehlenbruch saw her team earn sixth place at the state competition in Yakima in late March and saw the Jaguars show their skills at Carnation Plaza at Disneyland in California in a performance from April 30 to May 4 to conclude the 2007-08 season.
Muehlenbruch said her squad performed flawlessly in Disneyland.
“We showed everybody what we were made of,” Muehlenbruch said. “It was the best they’d done all year and it was when they were in front of the biggest audience. They had a lot of fun.”
While Muehlenbruch is grateful for the success her team attained during the 2007-08 season, she is already looking forward to the 2008-09 season.
“We’ve already had tryouts and picked our team for this coming school year,” Muehlenbruch said. “ We’re going to a team camp in June and will practice our choreography in August.”
Muehlenbruch said 10 of the 15 girls who will be on the team in 2008-09 were on the roster during the 2007-08 campaign.
“It’s nice to have that kind of consistency. Most of the girls that came to the team as sophomores stay all the way through their senior year,” Muehlenbruch said. “We’re pretty fortunate. When that kind of thing happens it builds a strong program and the girls improve so much faster.”
Even though competition season takes place from November to March, being a member of the dance team is a year-round commitment. The dance squad performs their routines at football games, pep assemblies, basketball games, WIAA sanctioned events and in the community.
“These girls spend a lot of time together,” Muehlenbruch said. “People don’t realize how much time they put in. They constantly work on their techniques, showmanship and uniformity. They all have to dance exactly the same way to be successful as a group. The commitment to working together has to be there.”
Muehlenbruch said team camp is already slated to begin in a few short weeks.
“We’re gearing up for next year right now,” Muehlenbruch said. “Being on the team is about much more than dancing and being cute in a uniform, these girls are young woman of character who represent Emerald Ridge High School. We want to be respected in the community and give back to it. “