The Frenship High School Pom Squads dominated the dance floor and made history last weekend at the Crowd Pleasers Spirit Competition at Lubbock-Cooper. The Tigers brought home 27 awards and accolades and won every team award you could qualify for, including the Overall High Point Routine for Varsity and JV teams.
“We were up against fierce dancers at the Crowd Pleasers Spirit Competition,” said Varsity Pom Coach, Melissa Oakeley. “West Texas is stepping up year after year. I am so proud to be part of such a great community of dance teams who love one another and who challenge us to keep pushing barriers.”
Coach Oakeley has seen both teams grow over the season in skills and teamwork.
“We see these kids grow in such tremendous ways year after year during competition season. This preparation requires a great deal of self-reflection, accountability, and awareness in addition to great effort. They have worked tirelessly to prepare, from working all summer long, before school practice, and during the school day to learn and advance their skills,” said Coach Oakeley.
Coach Oakeley shares that dancers can often face setbacks and stress during competition season, but she has seen them shine and overcome obstacles along the way.
“There is a lot of pressure put on them to execute and clean these routines and often times it could challenge their patience and their tolerance as teammates but we work very hard to work through those emotional struggles and teach them how to self-regulate their emotions and process this pressure so that we also grow closer as a team and encourage them to lift each other up in the process,” said Coach Oakeley. It's amazing to see where we start and how much growth we witness by the end of the year. It's also such a battle to keep their bodies healthy. These athletes put their bodies through the ringer and getting them to the finish line heathy is a feat in itself.”
Up next, the Frenship Pom Squads will be competing in the same Crowd Pleasers Spirit Competition at Eagle Mountain High school in Fort Worth. Coach Oakeley shares how the team is preparing for the next round of fierce competitions.
“We had a 3-day turn around to level up and try to improve our routines. We watched film, listened to our critiques, and looked over scores and then got right back to work,” said Coach Oakeley. “The kids have homework to reflect and watch their performances and see how they can improve on the individual level while we work as a team in class to clean and polish on the team level.”
Serving as a coach and a mentor has been one of the most rewarding parts for Coach Oakeley. She has enjoyed fostering a supportive environment where her athletes can thrive both personally and athletically.
“There is a lot of reward in this job. But I think the most rewarding for me has to be watching their character develop and see them grow better as humans and individuals,” said Coach Oakeley. “I tell them all the time that ‘If I can inspire you to be a better dancer that’s one thing, but if I can inspire you to be a better human that’s everything’. Watching them be such good kids and grow and make a positive impact is the greatest reward of them all. It’s also so rewarding to see all of their hard work pay off. It never gets old to see the look on their faces when they feel accomplished at what they set out to do.”
Beyond the awards and trophies Coach Oakeley hopes that her athletes will cherish the memories and experiences they’ve gained throughout their journey.
“I hope beyond the trophies and accolades that they look back at their time on pom and feel a great deal of pride, fulfillment and joy that they hopefully experienced every day. I hope they will look back fondly at their time on pom and feel that it was all worth it. They are part of an incredible legacy that carries on year after year and I hope that’s something they are proud of and will always remember,” said Coach Oakeley.
Congratulations, Frenship Pom Squads! Check out the full list of results below.
Frenship Crowd Pleasers Spirit Competition Results
- Medium Varsity Team- Hip Hop
- 1st Place- FHS Varsity Pom
- Medium Varsity Team- Pom
- 1st Place - FHS Varsity Pom
- Overall Hip Hop Division – FHS Varsity Pom
- Overall Pom Division- FHS Varsity Pom
- Specialty awards:
- Most entertaining- FHS Varsity Hip Hop
- Overall Regardless of Genre:
- FHS Varsity Overall- Highest Score in Any Category-Pom
JV Division Awards
High Point Genre Awards
- JV Pom Division
- Winner- Frenship JV
- JV Hip Hop Division
- Winner- Frenship JV
Overall Awards
- JV Overall Highest Scoring Routine- FHS JV Hip Hop
Solo Awards
- Junior Contemporary Solos
- 3rd Place, Jairo Funez Alcantar
- 2nd Place, Halley Reynolds
- Contemporary Seniors
- Winner Auri Frost
- Senior Jazz Winner
- Landry White
Overall High Point Solos Regardless of Genre
- Junior Overall
- 3rd Place, Jairo Funez Alcantar
- 2nd Place, Halley Reynolds
- Senior Overall
- 2nd Place Overall, Landry White
- 1st Place Overall, Auri Frost
- Freshmen
- 2nd Place Category, Laney Lester
- 1st Place Category, Jaleigh'a Frost
- Sophomores
- 3rd Place, Kadence Stiff
- 2nd Place, Kaitlyn Hearron
- 1st Place, Karsyn Laymon
- Freshmen Overall Solos
- 3rd Place, Laney Lester
- 1st Place, Jaleigh'a Frost
- Overall Sophomores Solos
- 3rd Place, Kadence Stiff
- 2nd Place, Kaitlyn Hearron
- 1st Place, Karsyn Laymon
- Varsity Duet Category
- 1st Place, Makenlie Smith and Jillian Gaona
- Overall Duet Winner- Makenlie Smith and Jillian Gaona