In spite of some recent struggles to drum up participation in the program, the Poms squad has continued to show improvement and success in their competition season. The team, which won Division 1 titles in both 2018 and 2019, has been trending upwards success-wise over the past decade. The current number of members is sitting at nine, five of which are seniors — a relatively low number compared to years past when the roster ranged from 12-18 girls. COVID played a large role in this because there was a year and a half of program advertisement lost, however this does not mean all is lost.

“Due to the smaller numbers [of members] we do have to be much sharper and cleaner because many of the other teams have large numbers so there is more going on,” said senior Kendall Davis. “However with our small number it helps us push ourselves harder.”

The dancers are willing to persevere and are taking advantage by dedicating more time to perfecting their craft. The team has held their Division 1 ranking since 2017, and considering the aforementioned division titles there is always a drive to succeed. They use past success to continue their drive as they work tirelessly on their routines to make the hard work that they have put in for months worth it. 

“The members of the Poms team love to dance; it’s their passion and it shows in every practice and every performance,” said coaches Adrienne Embrey and Mayra Hayes. “They are a dedicated group of young ladies and we feel honored to coach them.”

Davis shares how being a part of the Poms squad, throughout both a large roster and a small roster, has impacted her character growth throughout high school.

“My biggest takeaway is the aspect of leadership and confidence,” Davis said. “This is going to be so helpful in bringing me up in my life because it will help me succeed in my further careers and allow me to achieve more to my best ability.”

Embrey and Hayes have decided that this year the team will perform at JPMS to hopefully reignite some of the interest going into high school. The team hopes to continue building upon their success heading into the county competition on February 4th at Montgomery Blair High School.