The Sweet Home High School Huskiettes dance team finished 10th in its division at the state competition held Thursday through Saturday at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
The team did “really good, with the highest score that they had all year,” said Coach Eohe Howerton. The score sheet was new this year, so teams and judges had to adjust to it.
“It’s fun,” Howerton said. “It’s a long four days, but it’s a lot of fun.”
The Huskiettes scored 67.83.
Had the division been divided between large and small teams, the Huskiettes would have finished second in the 4A/3A/2A/1A division, Howerton said. The size of a team impacts the overall score.
Stayton had the highest final score in the division and the competition as well as the highest score overall for the week, 92.43 points.”
The team moved forward this year, and it’s moving forward, Howerton said. “I keep building on it year after year. It’s moving in the right direction.”
This year she had six advanced dancers, all of them seniors: Ilima Kaauwai-Walker, Jackie Cheshire, Kailey Harrington, Eva Kinker, Aria Smith and Dana Hiett.
Junior Marissa Green was the most advanced among the younger dancers, Howerton said. The team included two sophomores, Hazel Blank and Dez Kimble and three freshmen, Jandy Drake, Jayme McDonald and Collette Valentine.
“It was a great mixture of kids,” Howerton said, and they had no grade issues.
They performed at two competitions with their pom routine in the fall, including a second-place trophy at West Albany. In the winter season, they performed four times, including a second-place finish at Thurston the week before state.
Howerton said she has coached the seniors for six years, which includes two years at the junior high level before she took over the high school program. “I’m interested in seeing what next year brings.”
She had a chance to see the eighth graders perform last week, and she’s anxious to get them into the high school program, she said.
“I’m very thankful to the parents, community and our family,” Howerton said, and she is thankful to the sponsors who help the dancers who are less fortunate.