Cadettes

By Alyssa Tompkins

Nothing about dance is easy, not a single thing, and the Capital High Cadettes know it. Footwork, fatigue, technique, lines, timing, blocking, choreography and so much more play into a single dance routine. Just like playing an instrument, dance requires focus on multiple tasks at once. The Cadettes must pay close attention to where their feet are being placed so as not to bump into another dancer.

Dance is a culmination of many things, including tons of practicing. When I mentioned practice, many of the dancers eyes turned a vivid mixture of fatigue and excitement. The team practices on a regular schedule, which includes six a.m. practices. These early practices are not uncommon for athletes. Rehearsals are every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during their season and are a mix between early and afternoon start times.

As a Capital High Junior, Mackenzie Sanders has been on the Cadettes for three years and has enjoyed every moment. She says, “My favorite part of the team is when we get ready together before performances down in the cafeteria; it’s so much fun”. On performance days, the team gets together and helps each other prepare by doing each other’s hair and makeup. Sanders goes on to explain, “It just brings us all together so much before we perform. It really is a family preparation time.” A bright and bubbly light appears in her eyes as I ask her about her favorite memory with the team: “all of them”. We both laugh before Sanders narrows her memory down; she exclaims “My favorite memory is going to state. You get to ride a bus with your favorite girls and do your makeup together. I just love the girls with my whole heart”.

One member of the dance squad, Lillian Hollibaugh, a Capital High Junior, lights up when I mention the Cadettes. Having been on the team for two years, she has lots of anecdotes that she’s willing to tell me. Hollibaugh has so many stories to tell that we have to frantically scribble them down. The first thing she says she enjoys is the feeling of family that thrives within the team. She smiles and explains “It was state, our final football game of the 2018 season, and we were all getting ready to not be seeing each other for a little while. I came up with the idea to create a group chat with everyone in it. Everyone got so excited, and I think that’s just the coolest thing. We all use it all the time, even when the season is over or waiting to pick up again. It just solidifies the feeling of family”. She says that the team is always so supportive of everyone, even when the schedule gets difficult or the dances get complex, which happens pretty often.

Cadettes team captain, MaKayla Marshall, a Capital High Senior, clearly loves the sport. I did not get to speak with her personally, but her text tells me as much about her as I need to know. Marshall writes “I have been on the Cadettes my sophomore through senior year. My junior and senior year I was lucky enough to be a captain as well”. Marshall continues on to say that her schedule is jam packed when it comes to school, working and the team, adding on that the squad works nearly year around. She says that her favorite part of being a cadette is the team’s love for what they do. Her love shines through the minute she said, “I love every single one of the people I have danced with in my three years of being on the team. I’m so so blessed to have been a part of such an amazing experience throughout high school.”

It is extremely evident that each and every girl enjoys the team and loves the feeling of family that is cultivated with the squad.