Annabelle Paige

Sophomore Mia Bazaldua performs at the Winter Dance Classic in Leander Feb. 3.

The Flames will compete at a dance competition tomorrow at Liberty High School. 

“I am really proud of how far this team has come and progressed throughout this whole year so far,” captain Breeley Keele said.

They placed 3rd for performances in Contemporary and Jazz at the Winter Dance Classic in Leander competition Feb. 3.

“This first competition was about gaining an understanding and knowledge of how competitions run,” dance coach Jana Crawford said. “Since the majority of the team had never been to a competition before this, we were focused on performing our best in a new and stressful environment.”

Freshman Avalyn Southard said they got the placement we deserved.

“It was our first competition and there were a lot of nerves,” Southard said.

Lampasas competed against many schools in the area including: Copperas Cove, Liberty Hill, Lago Vista, Westwood and Stony Point.

“I loved spending time with the Copperettes from Cove High School because they are so much fun to hangout with and make memories with,” Keele said.

Last year, the Flames did not participate in the competition, so this was a new experience for the sophomores.

“In previous competitions, Flames consistently placed anywhere from 3rd-7th place, and had received Grand Champion at one competition,” Crawford said.

Their practices to prepare for their competition went from afterschool to 5:30 p.m. Sometimes they opted to stay even later to perfect their dances. They also had Saturday practices.

“The way we prepared is that we just ran the routines over and over again and when it came to a part where the cleans weren’t coming through as strong as our coach wanted, we would drill that part over and over till that clean came through,” Keele said.

After the competitions, all the high schools present had a dance party while the judges determined their places.

“One of the fun things that happened was getting glow sticks and throwing them around,” Southard said. “It was a really fun way to keep the energy up and going.”