Golden Girls is the dance team here at Liberty North High School. Like most sports, it is split into two groups; varsity and junior varsity – or JV. McKenna Steffen is one of the sophomores on the varsity team, and gave me an inside look of what it’s like being a Golden Girl.
Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the varsity Golden Girls have a 6 am practice at Liberty North. “An average practice starts with group stretches for 15 – 20 minutes, then we start cleaning either pom or jazz, whichever is needed most. We then run the sections we cleaned with the music to make sure it looks good before moving onto the next section. We end the practice by filming our full routine, so we can see which areas need improvement at the next practice,” Steffen said.
With competition season right on the horizon, the girls are working extra hard to make sure their team is ready. “We have been using our morning and Sunday night practices to clean routines and make them look good. We have also been performing the routines at basketball games to be ready for dancing at competitions.” Steffen told me.
Not only do the Golden Girls cheer on the sidelines at every home football and basketball game, they also dance a routine during half-time. Those two performing spaces are very different, each one having their own individual feeling – one being on the turf outside, and the other on a floor inside. “I prefer dancing on the football field because it is always so much fun. We get to have our names called and have the big lights shining on us. I also love how much energy everyone has at football games, which makes performing that much more exciting.” Steffen said.
Even though the Golden Girls work very hard every week, they never forget to have fun and enjoy the feeling of dancing with their friends. “Being a Golden Girl is truly indescribable. I love being included in school events and the other girls on the team are my best friends. I always get good laughs at practice, while also being able to get everything done that we need to. Golden Girls has helped me grow so much as a dancer and person, and I enjoy every moment.” Steffen told me.