Highlandettes sweep awards at competition

Photo by Chris Dishman

The Highlandettes attended the American Dance & Drill Team competition over the weekend, and it’s a wonder they made it home loaded down with all those trophies.

The team earned Sweepstakes honors and the Gussie Nell Davis Award, named for the famed founder of the Kilgore Rangerettes. They also won 3 Judges’ Awards (for their novelty, pom and contemporary routines) and awards for Best Overall Choreography, Best Overall Presentation and Best Overall Technique, among others. They even took home the Sportsmanship Award.

In the Elite Team category, where Dette smaller groups compete, the Crew earned the Judges’ Award for hip hop, the Dance Team was presented the Judges’ Award for jazz and the Red Line was given the Judges’ Award for high kick. Dettes also won Best Overall Choreography, Best Overall Presentation and Best Overall Precision. The senior ensemble was named Best in Class.

Officer jazz routine. Photo by Chris Dishman

The officer squad, made up of Anna Starr, Mattie Briscoe, Bess Detar, Ashton Plotts and Caroline Whiteside, earned Judges’ Awards for their novelty, contemporary and jazz routines. They also were awarded Best Overall Technique, Best Overall Choreography, Best Overall Precision, Best Overall Presentation and Best in Class.

Competing as individuals, Anna Starr and Sara Starr were 1st-runners-up to winners Bess Detar and Ashton Plotts in the Duet category. Captain Anna Starr was 1st-runner-up as a solo artist.

“I am so unbelievably proud of each and every one of these girls,” said Sarah Stoeber, Highlandette Director. “Each of them committed to performing their best and they achieved that goal.”

Crew hip hop. Photo by Chris Dishman

“These results show that the Highlandettes are not only a group of talented dancers, they are also well respected amongst their peers. The Sportsmanship Award is voted on by other teams at the competition, which means that Lake Highlands represents the community everywhere they go. These results also show months of hard work and dedication. Every trophy was well-deserved.”

“Competition is definitely nerve-racking but a lot of fun,” said Lieutenant Ashton Plotts, “because we finally get to show off our dances we spent months learning and perfecting. It is also really fun to watch what other teams from around North Texas bring to the table. I am so proud of how well all our hard work paid off.”

Red line. Photo by Chris Dishman

“Something we can probably all say we took away from contest season,” continued Ashton, “is that when practices got long and hard, we helped each other stay positive and motivated to reach the goals we had set for ourselves.”

Senior Morgan Dishman agreed.

“There is a special bond between all teams that compete. Even though we are in competition, we all share the common ‘drill team girl’ logo and the desire and love to dance. As a team, we truly pushed ourselves to be the best we could be. At the end of each performance, we all stood in the assurance that we performed our best and nothing less. I couldn’t be prouder of my team.”