The 2023-24 Whitman Poms’ season ended on Feb. 3 when they placed fourth in the Division 1 County Championship at Montgomery Blair High School. The 16 members performed at three competitions throughout the winter.
Counties is the most prestigious Poms competition in MCPS, consisting of 25 teams divided into three divisions. This was Whitman’s fourth year competing in D1 after they made the jump from D2 and won first place last year.
This year’s competition was a challenge unlike any other; with the snowstorm complicating practices in January, the Poms were less prepared going into counties. Because of the snowstorm, the Seneca Valley Invitational was canceled. However, the team overcame adversity and put together an exciting performance.
“It was hard to get into a good mindset for counties,” sophomore Kela Jacobs said. “These previous competitions pushed us to make a lot of changes.”
The routine was judged on four guidelines: dance elements, execution, poms elements and choreography. Each team must include a jazz, kick, poms and hip-hop section in the music selection. The songs featured in the routine included “March On,” “Don’t You Worry Child,” “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” and “Black Skinhead.” The Whitman drumline performed alongside Poms for “March On.”
Senior captain Ella Friedland, who’s performed on the team for the four years, said this was one of the best routines Poms has created.
“Our routine this year was one of the best competition routines we’ve had on Whitman poms,” senior Friedland said. “We incorporated lots of difficult techniques like combination turns, leaps, jumps and kicks. We also had a lot of small details in our choreography with levels and ripples with formation changes.”
The Sherwood Poms team placed first at the competition. With the Vikes’ placing fourth it confirmed, they will stay in D1. If Whitman placed below fourth, it would jeopardize the team and force them to move down. All the teams at counties this year have competed in D1 for over ten years, besides Whitman.
“After the performance, the judges gave us great feedback and said our routine was exciting to watch as we were always moving across the floor,” Friedland said.
Junior Poms member Sophia Marra was proud that the team pulled through to earn placement at counties, even through the difficulties this season.
“Everybody has worked so hard this season, and I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Marra said. “The improvement of our team from the start of the year to now is amazing, and our team bond has grown very strong.”
