Carol Anne Krukowski

      Reflections on States Clean Sweep 2017

 

Heading to states, I knew we had a wonderful opportunity to do well. The girls had worked so hard and had so many wonderful successes throughout the season, especially at twirl mania.

When we got the group line up the day before, I was excited to see we had a ton of competition in each division, but also a little concerned because we had to split our day between two gyms. We gamed planned as coaches to meet early, set up outside between the 2 gyms, and run every routine prior to starting the competition day.

The girls came Sunday morning ready to twirl. You could see the determination in their faces. We prepped the girls and parents in understanding today was going to be a "go with the flow" day. We weren't 100% sure how fast each gym would run.

The girls started the day in the 2nd gym. They rocked their first routine! Once the competition started rolling, we realized we were going to get lucky and compete ALL our routines in the second gym before having to compete in the main gym!

The first round of awards were announced and we took first if the first few routines! We were so excited and got the girls even more pumped up to compete their best!!

We did have one teammate sick. She tried so hard to power through. We decided together to have her sit out one routine. Her energy level was low and that routine would be nearly impossible to do in addition to our final half time. The team worked together to cover the hole with just minutes before competing. They performed flawlessly, and did it in honor of their ill teammate. That is what I love about the Anchorettes, they are always in it together.

Our Sr Small, Don't Let Me Down, was next up. This was our newest and most advanced dance twirl. We were babies in this age division, so placing top 3 was my personal goal. Hearts were pounding from all! Teammates filled the stands and the girls took the floor. Once the final note of music left the air, cheers (and tears) took over. They nailed it!

More awards were announced, to only find out we had taken first in all our routines competed so far!

7 routines, 7 firsts, one to go.

This was our Jr Halftime, Africa. This is a team and crowd favorite. As coaches, we cherish this routine as it has every teammate together on the floor. Again, we were young in the age category, so a top 3 would be an honor. The routine was yet again just amazing. Now, we waited for the last set of awards to be announced.

The competition was tough. I remember feeling deflated when they announced 3rd and 2nd place without calling our name. Little did I know, they were going to call us again for 1st!!!

8 routines, 8 state wins.

A clean sweep!

This is a day I will never forget.