Tualatin’s very own dance team competed in their fall championships just over a week ago on Saturday, Dec. 7. The team competed in three categories: contemporary, hip hop and pom. However, Tualatin was up against fierce competition.

According to senior Annie Pegis, going into the competition, Lake Oswego and Tigard were the two to beat. She was correct in this assumption, as Lake Oswego took first in both hip hop and pom. Unfortunately, Tualatin did not place in the top three teams in the categories they competed in.

Although Pegis felt they competed well in contemporary and hip hop, their downfall at the championship was in pom. In this style of dance, the dancers dance with pom poms and, in this case, bows in their hair. What was thought to be a stylish addition to their costumes became a large deduction from their score.

Two dancers on the team had their bows fall out of their hair, which is a deduction because of the potential safety hazard it poses. This misfortune counted three points against their score, which in dance is detrimental. As well, each time a dancer dances over these bows, there are additional deductions.

Even though Tualatin did not have their best competition at this championship, their season is still not over. Now, they are kicking into high gear in preparation for state championships, and they hope to leave everything on the floor and perform well for each other instead of focusing on their scores.