Photo courtesy Gurnoor Sodhi

Poms dazzles the crowd during their halftime performance at the boys’ basketball game against Rockville on Dec. 15.

Sophomore Jess Yeilding is at one of her teammate’s house the Poms team is sitting in front of a mirror braiding each other’s hair. The energy is high, the team is nervous and excited as they get ready for the football game where they will be performing at the halftime show. They are looking forward to performing the dance that they worked tirelessly on and feel good about.

Poms is the school dance team and they perform at halftime during football games in the fall. During the winter is their competition season, but they also perform at basketball games halftime during the winter.

Poms had a successful fall season. They enjoyed their season and felt that not only did it go well but they also felt like they got a lot out of the season as well. They performed at the school pep rally as well. Senior and team captain Samantha Lau said, “The fall season was a big success.”

During the football season, they learn a two-and-a-half-minute routine that they learn in one to two weeks. Different people on the team would choreograph a dance each time so they worked hard to come up with original dances.

Poms also prioritize team bonding. They do activities such as dinner before every football game, getting ready at each other’s houses, baking cookies for other Pom teams and going to Carmen’s. As a team, they are bonded and close to each other. “We can all have fun together,” Yeilding said.

Poms can be challenging but it brings them closer together. Their work ethic as a team is strong and they work hard on perfecting their dance routines. “We got to bond through dance,” junior Rachel Reinstein said.

The poms were proud of their routines and worked hard on them. They took turns choreographing the dances which helped develop a variety of moves and dances. “We got diverse moves,” Lau said.

Poms is now in their winter season and looking forward to performing at the basketball game halftime. Poms perform their competition dance at the halftime show so it is good practice and experience for them.

Pom’s first winter competition is Jan. 6 and they have been working hard on their routine. The team is looking forward to the competition season. “The winter season is very rewarding because we get to perform our hard work,” Reinstein said.

During competition season they learn one six-minute routine over a few months. They work hard during competition season to make sure they are synchronized and the routine is ready to compete against other Montgomery County public school teams. “Our work ethic as a team is strong,” Reinstein said.

The winter season for the poms is intense and requires focus and motivation. They practice over 10 hours a week to ensure they are ready for their competition. Their county competition is on Feb. 3.

Right now they are working on the dance they choreographed and practicing their routine. “The overall spirit of the team is really good this year,” Lau said.