It is that time of year again for the Pleasant Valley Platinum Dance team: state season. This is an intense and crucial time for the dance team; they have titles to live up to and expectations to fulfill not only for the Pleasant Valley community, but also the state as a whole.
The ISDA (Iowa State Dance Association) has undergone some changes in 2023 causing the competition to be altered drastically.
Senior and team captain Maci Quam described the changes at state this year. “Instead of every state solo qualifier going directly to state in Des Moines, there was a qualifying round. This was a competition held in October and the top ten from this competition will recompete again at state on December 1st,” Quam explained.
Quam qualified for ISDA State with her lyrical routine and will go on to perform again in hopes to take home the gold.
Platinum performs at numerous sporting events ranging from basketball and football games to parades and assemblies. This team comes up with new choreography and routines throughout the season which they perform at these events. Along with events, this team has been working on their state jazz and pom routines for several months.
Platinum is the most consistent sports team at Pleasant Valley, having won 13 state championship titles in the past 13 years as well as having multiple individual state champions. This team is extremely hardworking and has built up quite a reputation.
Quam is confident the team will perform well this year. “Preparing for state can be stressful every year. I think sometimes it can be a little stressful knowing that we have been pom state champs for many years in a row. Although, I know for a fact that we are 100% capable of taking home the title again,” Quam described.
Senior Aubrey Holst also has confidence in the team’s ability. “I feel like this year there is a lot of pressure for us to win since we have won Pom five years in a row. The seniors last year taught so much and have led us to success which in turn has shown us how to be successful. State this year will be challenging but we will definitely rise to the challenge,” Holst said.
Not only is Platinum a strong team when it comes to their dancing abilities and skills, they are also a family. Sophomore Maliyah Metcalf is happy to be a part of such a close group. “We are a very close-knit team, we all care for eachother and the energy at practice is never low. We are always laughing with each other, but we also focus and get to work; there is a good balance between the two,” Metcalf said.
Platinum is ready to perform on the stage on December 1st knowing the many hours and practices of preparation they have put in will pay off.
