by Joey Lavoie ’14

After not placing in the top three of MCPS County Championships last February, the Warriors look to return to prominence in their 2013 campaign. They began doing just that on January 12, placing third at the Damascus Invitational, while senior captain Dahlia Ghafir finished second for the Captain’s Award. This competition was dominated by teams in and around Olney, the top three being Blake, Magruder and Sherwood.

“We are not happy with third place, because we feel like our routine is very strong with a great deal of difficulty, creativity and technique,” said coach Jeanne Laeng.  “We are drilling basics like pointed toes, body placement, strong landings and solid finishes.”

This competition season consist of only two events, the Damascus Invitational and MCPS County Finals this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Richard Montgomery. The season was shortened from the usual three competitions after a host school canceled its competition. Also, due to scheduling conflicts with a location for county finals, they were moved up a week from the original second weekend in February.

“I know that if we have the drive and passion to win, we will go home with that first place trophy,” said junior Alexa Levine.  “All we can do is leave everything out on the floor.”

After the graduation of captain Alexandra Stephanos (’12), Ghafir and fellow senior captain Ali Yuffee stepped up in a huge way in the first competition, choreographing the dance along with senior officers Melissa Fajardo and Jenny Lee.

“Alexandra was a great captain, but this is a new year. Each captain has to do something different every year because each squad is different than the last,” said Ghafir. “I love this team and hopefully our hard work will pay off at counties.”

As the Warriors head to counties on Saturday, they look to knock off neighborhood rivals Magruder and Blake, both sporting equally strong squads. Sherwood returns to Richard Montgomery as a favorite to place in the top three for numerous awards, and most definitely battle for the county championship, which looks to return to Sandy Spring for the first time since 2011.

“Dance is very subjective, so, as hard as we work, as talented as we are, as much as we practice; it does not always equal a win, unlike basketball, soccer, etc.,” noted Laeng.

The Warriors have history on their side going into the competition, though, as they have won three county championships since Maryland State Public Schools Sports Association switched to a county championship format in 2005.

“Every year on poms is different, but with Mrs. Laeng’s help, we have placed, and won several times,” said Yuffee. “She knows exactly what to do and what to say to help us and give us the drive we need to succeed.”