By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
The Waterford Union High School Varsity Dance team medaled with each of its routines Feb. 4 in LaCrosse at the Wisconsin Association of Pom and Cheer Coaches State Cheer and Dance Championships.
The Wolverines finished third in Division 2 with the their pom routine and third in Division 1 with their jazz routine. Coach Deanna Schicker said it is the first time in program history that each routine Waterford took to state earned a medal.
“We’ve always been hopeful,” Schicker said. “We’ve placed in either pom or jazz, but never both. When they announced it, it was like they’d just won.”
Hortonville won the Division 2 pom title and Franklin won the Division 1 jazz title.
Schicker said a season goal of the Wolverines was to break both the top five in jazz and pom competition.
Waterford has sent at least one entry to state in each of the seven years of coach Deanna Schicker’s tenure. Schicker is one of the owners of Foursis Dance Studio in Rochester. Several members of the team dance at Foursis and other area studios.
Waterford won a regional title and advanced to state in two events Jan. 25 at Watertown High School in competition sanctioned by the WACPC.
Waterford went to sate as the defending WACPC Division 2 state pom champion. Last year’s title was the Wolverines’ first WACPC state title in six years of competition. This year’s regional title is the team’s sixth in a row.
Waterford’s pom routine was set to songs entitled “I Like That,” and “We Came to Smash,” which Schicker are popular songs for dance routines, but are not necessarily heard in heavy rotation on the local radio station.
The Wolverines’ jazz routine was set to “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men. Schicker’s sister, Alicia Padilla, choreographed the routine. Padilla is a co-owner at Foursis.
The Wolverines also won state titles Jan. 21 at Sheboygan South High School in the Wisconsin State JAM Cheer & Dance Championships. JAM is the WACPC’s junior varsity competition.
Waterford won the Division 2 state title in pom competition and the Division 1 state title in jazz competition.
Waterford competed in state junior varsity dance once before in Schicker’s seven years with the program.
Schicker said the program is getting to the point where it can field enough dancers for varsity and junior varsity squads.
“To know I have that much talent, and they’re part of our program and are going to stay with our program and sustain that level of consistency, that’s pretty cool,” Schicker said.
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