Thursday, March 27, 2025
Seven Gatesville High School Dazzlers, “2025’s Sassy 7” attended three competitions during their contest season last month. The dance team travelled to McLennan Community College (MCC), the ADTS Heart of Texas Showcase in Belton, and Showtime’s Central Texas Showcase in Lampasas, where they competed in three categories including Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Pom.
At MCC, the Dazzlers received 1st Division scores for all three of their performances which resulted in a 1st Division trophy.
The Dazzlers took home most of their trophies from the ADTS Showcase in Belton where the team won Sweepstakes, a Gussie Nell Davis Trophy, Judges Awards for Pom and Hip-Hop, second place in their division, and Best Overall Awards from three out of four judging categories, which resulted in a Team Gold.
In Lampasas, the Dazzlers won Sweepstakes, Judges Award Trophy, Best in Category Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Pom; Grand Champion in the Small Team Division, and Best of the Best (all divisions) second runner up. Dazzler Director Helen Gonzales was also honored with a Grand Champion Director award and Best of the Best Director award as a result of the team earning those same accolades.
“My favorite dance to perform from contest season was our jazz routine,” Dazzler Chloe Corp said. “It was my favorite because it was a style of jazz I have never performed and it allowed me to focus on concepts of dance like extension, flow, and even technique.”
Gonzales said that she is very proud of the Dazzlers, especially with the group being very young and coming into contest season with very little experience.
“They were willing to work, listened to constructive criticism, and made every effort to improve and do better each time we went out to perform,” she said.
GHS Dazzler Maygen Glennon said that dancing during contest season was different from football season since the team was dancing in front of strangers, as well as being judged on their performance.
“It helped me perform to an audience better, which can help me next year at competitions and even at pep rallies, because it can help engage the audience better,” she said. “Overall, this contest season helped me tremendously as a dancer, and it helped better me for officer tryouts and football season next year.”
The team began preparations for contest season in mid-November while attending three separate choreography clinics for their routines. Each dance was taught by a current member of MCC’s college dance team, and the Dazzlers worked through January to get each dance ready to compete.
Dazzler Adalyn Shelton said, “For football season and competition season, we all go to practice three days a week, while some of us are doing sports that conflict.”
They also performed at two Hornet basketball games to help prepare for the season as well.
The contest season was led by Dazzler Captain Romi Bomar, who is a fourth-year Dazzler and happens to be the only member of the group with competition experience.
“I have enjoyed every moment and opportunity to grow as a dancer and be able to share my experience with the others,” Bomar said. “This contest season was amazing, and with every competition our group grew to higher expectations, and that is what makes me proud as a captain.”
She also expressed that witnessing the young dancers grow and compete at higher standards not only made her proud, but also overly confident that they will be able to help the incoming dancers next season just as well.
Gonzales said that watching the girls compete makes her very proud.
“I am a little competitive, so, when we set out to compete, our goal is always to put our best effort on the floor, which amounts to success, but also to have done enough work to be able to compete and win,” she said. “Trophies acknowledge commitment, effort, and the improvements we were able to accomplish.”
Dazzler Brooke Reavis said that the best part about performing during contest season was the quality time she spent with her team each Saturday.
Dazzler Bailey Wollf also said that she enjoyed competing during competition and was happy to see her hard work start to show off and watched herself grow throughout the process.
“It was also amazing to watch other teams compete and see how much their work paid off,” she said.
As the season comes to an end, Gonzales reflected on the last 12 years she has spent with the Dazzlers throughout football and contest season while sharing the great Drill Team experience.
“I am, and have been since I was in high school, very passionate about dance and the opportunity it provides girls in their high school experience,” she said. “I have loved being a part of that with this group of girls. The day-to-day experiences of time spent with the girls through practice and performances are what I will miss next year.”
Dazzler Thoughts
Dazzler Captain Romi Bomar: “Being a Dazzler has been important to me because it has helped me grow as a dancer as well as a person in so many ways. Over the past four years, the drill team has taught me the value of discipline, teamwork, and perseverance,” she said. “I've learned how to balance my time effectively, manage stress, and stay committed to my goals, even when things get tough. These experiences have not only made me a better dancer, but have also shaped my character, making me more confident, responsible, and resilient in all areas of my life.”
Maygen Glennon: “I feel like I learned a lot from competition this year; it helped me have more fun when I was dancing, helped me to learn dances faster, and helped me to learn to dance to different styles of dance like our jazz. I also learned to do better facials during the dances instead of just smiling the whole time and had facials that matched the music,” she said. “I feel like I also started to pick up on dances faster when the choreographers came to teach us them, because it used to take me weeks to learn a dance and remember it, I started to get them in a couple of days.”
Chloe Corp: “Being in Dazzlers has allowed me to create new friendships and learn to work with a team that I love and has helped me be more involved within the school while doing what I love,” she said. “Dazzlers has taught me about how hard work can pay off, especially with your performance and even your team.”
Adalyn Shelton: “Being a Dazzler is important to me because I feel like it symbolizes class and hard work,” she said. “Dazzlers has taught me how to be more confident in myself and showed me how to be myself. They might have taught me dance but they teach all of us how to support each other and not to worry because better times are ahead.”
Bailey Wolff: “Being a Dazzler is important to me because I've made some of my best friends and made memories that will stick with me forever. The drill team has taught me that it's important to put the work in, and that someone will notice,” she said. “I also learned that what we're doing matters when we see younger kids at games or other activities talking to them and hearing them say they want to be like us is so amazing.”
