by Ryan Condon
This year brings confidence and new opportunities for the fall dance team, according to senior Audrey Derobert, a captain with senior Caroline Nunberg.
The team hopes to build on last year’s successes of receiving the Grand Champion trophy at the New England Cheer and Dance competition, placing second at the Bay State Conference Championship and placing fifth at States.
Derobert said she believes the team has the talent it will need to compete this year. “Last year, we were strong, and this year, we’re just getting better,” she said. “As more and more girls come to audition, the team is forced to be more selective, meaning that we come away with a great crop of dancers.”
This year, the team has had more time to prepare in the preseason as opposed to last year when the team did not start until the end of September. The extra time has been beneficial, according to coach Stephanie Hubbard.
Hubbard said the team worked hard during the summer by attending a private dance camp, as well as strengthening muscles and improving endurance with conditioning exercises.
According to Derobert, the team is hard-working and dedicated. “All the girls are motivated by a desire to be the best they can be, to win and to maintain a great reputation as a team,” she said.
The team will compete in Bay States Thursday, Nov. 1 and the New England Cheer and Dance Competition Saturday, Nov. 10, according to Hubbard.  The team will also be performing at home football games throughout the season.
A goal for the season, according to Derobert, is to make a bid for Nationals. “Even just being able to qualify would be a huge accomplishment and a testimony to the hard work of everyone who is on or was part of creating the team,” she said.