The Vikings Poms kicked off their competition season with an exhibition at Seneca Valley High School Dec. 17.

The exhibition was an optional event open to all three divisions of MCPS poms teams, and while there was no official scoring given, a panel of judges watched and critiqued each team’s routine.

“There were a total of six teams at the exhibition, and although they brought shorter routines, they were very clean,” senior captain Claire Sanfuentes said.

Being able to perform in front of a real audience and watch the rest of the teams provided the squad with a preview of what competition season will look like.

“I think the exhibition went really well because performing in front of a real audience made everyone light up, so afterwards everyone was really happy with the performance,” sophomore Frannie Cohen-Dumani said.

Not only did performing help them open up, but the judges critiques were helpful for the team moving forward in their season, Sanfuentes said.

“To prepare for future competitions we are working to make our movements as sharp and clean as possible and tweaking choreography so that we reach our best potential,” Sanfuentes said.

The Poms have already begun implementing the judge’s comments in preparation for their next invitational competition Jan. 7 at Damascus.