Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home High School Huskiettes dance team is starting the season loaded with – youth.
Nine of the 13 members are freshmen.
Returning dancers include senior Crystal Crites and juniors Leticia Virgen, Cathy Cheshire and Andrea Wilcox.
Freshmen include Cassie Rodriguez, Cajmona Nohrenberg, Faith Black, Kaylee Dougherty, Ashlyn Holley, Kiesha Goble, Jackkie Ohmer, Maddee Hawken and Tonya Cook.
“It’s definitely a building year, so I’m really excited to have a big group of freshmen,” said Coach Kristin Ashcraft. “They’re enthusiastic. It’s a fun group. No drama.”
And that enthusiasm is making up for the inexperience, she said. They’re kind of like beginners, but they’re trying hard and have come a long way since practice started in the fall.
The team’s theme this year is “Right Now,” Ashcraft said. They will dance to Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life,” Nickelback’s “If Today Was Your Last Day” and Van Halen’s “Right Now.”
“The message is to never waste a minute,” she said. “Shoot for the stars. Cherish every minute of this time of their lives.
“We didn’t want to do anything serious or sad or complicated,” she said. Those kinds of dances require facial expressions and acting. With the team’s experience level, she wanted to focus on the dancing.
The 1980s rock tunes keep everything fun and sharp, with a happy upbeat jazz routine and no need to be flowing and graceful, Ashcraft said.
They’ve got the routine down for the first two songs, and they’re coming along on the third, she said. “We are ahead of schedule.”
“It’s like one of the best routines,” Virgen said, and she expects her team to go “all the way, put everything into it.”
They’ll be ready for their first competition on Jan. 26, Ashcraft said. “They’ve got the routine. They just have to clean it up, perfect it.”
She is stressing grades this year, she said. “That’s probably been our biggest struggle.”
Ashcraft doesn’t know yet whether the state 4A competition will be divided into large and small categories yet, she said. If it is divided, the Huskiettes will compete with about four or five other teams. If it’s together, the field will be around 10 teams.
Stayton fields the top large team, while Crook County and Scappoose field the top small programs, she said.