The Pacer Dance Team is mostly known by the school for their crowd-pleasing game day dances at football and basketball games, but they are more than that. Even though halftime shows are what the school sees, the competitive part of the season is the majority of what they do, and the ways the performances work are very different. 

“Games, you come ready and get right into the routine, whereas competition, they are slower, you get ready at the location and have more time beforehand,” said freshman Lily Travis.

Getting ready for competitions is stressful, with a lot on the line and pressure to bring home a win and execute a performance that they’re proud of. However, the team has figured out how to get everybody ready.

“We all sit in a circle and listen to our music that we will be dancing to, and right before we go on, the captains give us a pep talk so we get locked in,” said junior Valerie Baldwin. “It gets us energized, and we do our PDT4L cheer.” 

It’s a moment of calm for the team before the rush of adrenaline that comes with e

very performance and the aftermath. However, while competitions can be fun, they take a lot of preparation and skill. 

“Preparation really begins at the start of the season. We talk as a team about our goals and what we as a team want to prioritize that year.  From there, that helps us as coaches identify how we can help them reach those goals and stay consistent in that work,” said Coach Holly Schnell.

The best way PDT has found to get through these stressful moments and long seasons is having a supportive team, while also striving for success when competitions come around. They are expecting a good winter season after using judges’ feedback to perfect their routines and a strong start in the fall. They placed second in 6A Contemporary at two competitions and first twice with their 6A hip hop routine.

In the final stretch of the season, PDT is preparing for the OSAA State Competition 

on March 20 at the Salem Pavilion, hoping to bring home a top placement.