Drill team danced their way to the top on Saturday at Celina High School, earning the Gold Ring of Champions, with the officers awarded Grand Champions, in the last competition of the season at the Danceline USA North Texas Regional. 

“Saturday’s competition went well for me and for the entire team,” social officer, senior, April Xu said via text. “We competed with a pom, kick, and military routine and won Grand Champions. My favorite thing that happened Saturday was when they announced that we won Grand Champions. We had been anticipating it all day so when it was finally announced, the entire team jumped up and celebrated. It was a truly amazing moment to celebrate that accomplishment with the team knowing our months of hard work paid off.”

Along with Red Rhythm’s success as an ensemble, individual dancers took medals as well: senior Ashleigh Rose was awarded first place soloist and Miss Danceline USA , and soloist Abby Strater won Top 5 Soloist.

The success of both individuals and the team, left junior Trinity Ramirez happy with how things went. 

“I would say Saturday’s competition went really well for me,” Ramirez said via text. “We were able to win with all of our dances and it’s always really fun to just get to spend the day with your friends. You prepare for contest season with hundreds of hours in and out of practices. We learned our first contest dance around homecoming and we’ve been working on them since, with practices getting harder and longer the closer we get to contest. Overall it’s a lot of hard work in the form of blood, sweat, and tears, but it’s worth it in the end.”

For first year member, junior Valeria Fleitash, competition season was an opportunity for her to grow as a performer while spending time with friends.

“For me, Saturday’s competition went great,” Fleitash said via text. “I felt so happy to be part of Red Rhythm and to see the result of all the time that Mrs. Nothe, Mrs. Cadungug, and all the team put to make this competition the very best. My biggest take away is the satisfaction of knowing that by working hard goals can be achieved. I also learned that loving what you do and good preparation are key elements to reach success. I’m sad that it ended, but I consider that contest season went excellent. It allowed us to grow as dancers and appreciate the hard work that everyone put into this season. It also helped us bond more as a team and share a very good experience. This was my first season competing and I really liked it.”