Day 0: The Arrival.  Here we are.  Yet another year we find ourselves rolling up to Badgerette’s 2012 Midwest Grand Championship event.  It is annually held at the Renaissance convention center in Schaumburg, Illinois.  All the girls always drive down after school that Friday, the day before any real dancing begins, to have some fun with each other and enjoy the little road trip.  Schaumburg is home to the lovely Woodfield mall that no pom girl will ever get sick of.  It has multiple levels of stores the go on for as far as the eager eyes can see and bask in the glory of.  Of course the Franklin Poms season is a solid ten months long, therefore, I am happily a part of a very close-knit group of girls that I am more than lucky to call my teammates, classmates, and best friends.  So a little shopping spree the day before can’t do us wrong.  In fact, this therapeutic method may even heal the pom girl soul.  From Urban Outfitters, to Pacsun, and Forever XXI, down to the Cheesecake Factory, to A&W, and Chill Bubble Tea; they have everything you would ever want from a mall and more!  So that’s always an awesome way to kickstart the weekend.  Typically, this is a weekend we have already predicted the outcome of.  Yes, by that, I do mean the results of the big shebang, the Midwest Grand Championship Competition. 
So this is what’s going to happen for the Championship division of varsity teams:
  -1st Place- Greendale HS
  -2nd Place- Franklin HS
  -3rd Place- Oak Creek HS
No shock there… It has been the same for years.  Well, with the exception of that once every four years they finally let us have our well-deserved title of first place.  I’m sure you can just imagine how painful it is going all the way down to Schaumburg with the mentality of being forced to settle for 2nd place when we all know we are the real 1st place team, along with several of the other teams in the gym, and I suppose anyone with real, functioning eyes.  We come into this competition year after year, already disappointed as we are constantly on the brink of tears knowing that our absolute best performance is never truly enough.  That may sound a tad bit emotional, but that’s just who we are as a team. 
Poms: Not only is it my passion, my sport, my escape, and my life, but it’s our passion, our sport, our escape, and our lives.  I spend countless hours, several days a week, every week of the month, and 10 months a year on this one team; these girls are my sisters.  I am so fortunate to say that we are one of the most fun-loving team who absolutely always get along; the relationships created and developed every year are simply priceless.  Along with the amount of time and hard work we put into it on the daily, it does nothing but crush our hearts when we don’t succeed as we would have liked to.  So even though second place sounds amazing still, it’s not going to cut it for us.  Everyone expects more out of us as well, as we are the defenders of the first place D1 WACPC State Jazz category for nearly a decade now.  We have one of the strongest reputations in the state for dance teams to live up to and maintain.  I cannot stress to you how stressful yet rewarding the whole experience is.   Now with all of that said, I hope you can begin to level with me on how upsetting it is to lose repeatedly to a team so bad that they stopped coming to Regional and State competitions because they failed to even place.  Yup, quite the mind-bottling concept for everyone else, too.  That’s why it’s nice to do a little therapy shopping before we have to mentally, physically, and emotionally prepare for what insane nonsense we are about to go through.
Day 1: The Beginning.  It’s a rise and shine kind of morning for those who chose/were chosen to participate in a solo, duet, or trio.  This is kind of a big deal because it’s all the best dancers from each team present battling against each other for the ultimate, golden Miss Badgerette soloist title, or the winning duet/trio 1st place title and trophy.  I don’t want to give you any mean girl interpretation of this, but from here on out we have to copy and paste on some overly cheerful, and almost entirely fake smiles for the rest of the competition.  ‘Why are they so fake?’ you may ask; well the answer is clear:  if the judges are going to give us fake results, then we will give them our fake smiles and enthusiasm.  The competition isn’t real to begin with; it’s pure politics in the pom world.  You’re probably wondering why we even go back season after season...Well I have been asking the same darn question for years.  So unfortunately I have no true answer to that one and honestly I don’t think anyone, including our coach, does.
This year I worked extra hard to choreograph and bring my very first solo to the crazy Badgerette atmosphere at Midwest.  I grew up as a gymnast at Altius, so I have been performing as a soloist my whole life; that part of it was nothing new.  The floor, beam, bars, and vault were all done in front of two judges, my competitors, coaches, parents, and a gym full of audience members.  So why was I so nervous now?  10 years of gymnastics is awesome, just not the ideal background for the whole dancey-poms thing I’m attempting right now.  Every single other girl has been dancing right out of the womb, and then there was me; flipping right out of the womb.  I joined a few dance classes in 8th grade but I didn’t stay with it for a very important reason:  if you’re not in company dance, or the competitive team, then they couldn’t care less about you and your routines.  It was no challenge whatsoever to dance with others in my age group at the studio; so adios to that. 
It’s solo time.  That means infinite jitters running in jagged patterns back and forth all over my body as I’m sitting in my assigned chair, poms in hand, legs shaking, and feeling perfectly ready to drop tears at any given moment.  They screwed up the typical grade arrangement, so I’m a little sophomore stuck dancing in the middle of two rows of incredibly skilled seniors.  So yeah, excuse me for being a little nervous here; talk about intimidation.  Of course I’m in the hands of a well-respected and very supportive team, so I have a lot of excited cheers, claps, and smiles waiting to see my routine.  However, the only thing on my mind is the neverending race of butterflies in my stomach that’s driving me crazy.  What if I mess up in front of everyone?  That’s so embarrassing.  Likewise, as my coach always says, “Don’t embarrass me.”  I mean I’ll do my best…Thanks for believing in me, it’s quite the motivational push.
It was all a blur.  The adrenaline overpowers everything else during performances.  It also lifts my jumps that much higher, sticks my turns that much stronger, and animates my emotions that much more.  All that I can say though is that I am proud of myself for finding the confidence from somewhere deep within and completing such a task as rewarding as that.  I did not place or advance into any further rounds, but I knew that I wasn’t going to when I decided to do a solo.  That’s just how it is sometimes, and fortunately, I have no regrets.
Later that night, after a long morning of repetitive songs for solos, duets, and trios, we all migrate to the gym down the street for some real dancing: it’s time to whip out ‘competition routine’.  The unairconditioned gymnasium filled with way too many people from all over Wisconsin and parts of Michigan and Illinois is not the best place to be stuck at all night.  Team after team of the same routine with the same song, but few unique revisions added each time is the game plan for the night.  Imagine that, while having to smile, cheer, clap for every performance- it gets real old real quick.  But worst of all, Greendale’s performance.  Gag me.
It’s the biggest, nastiest rivalry of Franklin Poms.  The only thing we want are true results and they are the one thing that keeps us from them.  I will say that compared to everyone else in the gym, they are a decent competitor.  But for us?  They are but a mere fly that smacked into the Franklin Poms windshield providing view of our gold vision of victory that we intend to pursue; nothing we can’t swipe aside to get to the big picture.  But they’re an annoying, pesky, little bug.  One that comes in through the side window to tease and ridicule the driver endlessly just for kicks.  They want to throw the car off course so that they can get to the finish line first, whether they deserve it or not (which they don’t).  The four hour practices each summer day aren’t worth a darn thing when we walk into this place, we already know we are taking home the silver- the same shade as the knife they stab us with every year.
The only reason this crazy, absurd event occurs is because the coach of Greendale Poms just so happens to be the sour sister of the head of the Badgerette organization.  How lovely for us.  They’ve got it made; handed to them on a sparkling, silver gold platter.  Of course, they don’t seem to realize this and somehow believe they win because of this so-called ‘talent’ they think they have… I think it’s a brainwashing thing, I’m not completely sure though.  All I know is something is going seriously wrong inside those little, devilish minds.  The fact that this competition really doesn’t officially mean anything shows how infuriated we are with rigged results.  Regional, state, and national competitions are what gave our team the title it proudly holds today. 
To win first place, you have to bring your A game in each routine you perform.  The math is simple:
What makes up your final score:
Open + Kickline + Competition + Short
Ranking of amount of points from different routines:
Open = Kickline > Competition > Short
Small things we also tie into it:
Senior Kickline, winning duets/trios, advanced solos
Basically, we need to win at least one of the biggest routines to even be in the running for 1st.  And this competition routine matters because it’s their routine everyone takes home and manipulates with their own original twist and flavor to battle it out for the best.  We add different choreographed parts, ripple counts, intriguing formation changes, appealing jumps, illusional transitions, and unique turning sequences, while not straying too far from the given material. 
After endless ‘woo’s for each kick and claps for all, we pack up and head back to the hotel for some rest, as Day 1 has come to an end.  But Franklin Poms never stops practicing.  We will mark out routines in the rooms , ask questions, and psych ourselves out until lights out.  At this time, the coach comes around and checks to see that each girl is in her designated room and then proceeds to steal her most prized possession that she cannot live without; her cellphone.  That’s right.  No staying up late on your phone playing games, texting your friends, calling your boyfriend, and NO alarms!  We are putting that trust into the workers at the front desk for a wake up call, which believe me, no one feels comfortable with.  But it’s not like we have a choice so that’s that.  After a few deep prayers to the Pom Gods above, we hit the beds, dreaming and visualizing our flawless performances that are yet to come.  And in the blink of an eye, Day 2 is already upon us.  The final straw.
Day 2: The Performances.  Good morning Vietnam!  Up and at ‘em nice and early to prepare for the extremely long day ahead of us.  We usually wake up around 5-5:30 A.M. to complete the ultimate FHS pom girl look:
Step 1: Hair- The frizz-less, tight, slicked back, classic bun look is created with an  assortment of gorilla glue products and numerous bottles of hairspray and gel.  The perfect tool used to establish a clear cut left part is a fine comb.  The secret is to do your bun while it is still all wet for a clean, precise part and overall bun outlook.  You will need a handful of bobby pins, three ponytails, a hairnet, and a custom crafted FHS poms hair bow.  
Step 2: Face- I hate to say it because it’s really not setting a good example for young girls who look up to us, but yes, applying enough makeup to be called a ‘cake face’ is part of the process.  You’ll need concealer, foundation, powder, bronzer, blush, primer, eye shadow, more blush, eye liner, mascara, more blush, lip balm, lipstick, and more blush.  There’s a clear emphasis on the blush if you haven’t noticed; that stuff wears off pretty quick.  Deep, appleberry Mary Kay lipstick is spotted on each of the 28 eager members of the team.  The eye makeup will always match the costume of the routine we are performing at the moment.  For example, for black and gold costumes we have neutral colored eyes, purple with purple eyes, teal with teal eyes, and jazz with black eyes because it’s full of deep mood and expression.  Believe it or not, everything is really nitpicky and congruent from dancer to dancer on one team; it’s all for the points though.
Step 3: Everything else-  They actually check, so it’s highly important to obey the rules by having perfectly cut, polish-less, and filed down to a nub fingernails.  There shall be no runs or holes in your fresh-smelling, wrinkle-free, newly opened tights.  Likewise, your feet should have hole-less, tan, slippery jazz shoes on them.  Your set of englargened, fettuce, floppy, pom strands should electrically wave vibrant amethysts and crystal iridescent whites from the right hand to the left.  Your costumes should show off the expensive iridescent rhinestones, glued on by the dancer in the costume, giving off just the right amount of sparkle.  Our matching squad warm ups are the final touch.  They’re black with a solid gold stripe running from head to toe on the side of the body.  The warm up jacket says Franklin Poms and the dancer’s name in letters in the font of confidence.  And with that, we are ready to take on the day.
Throughout the day, all of the remaining routines are performed including the open, short, and kickline routines.  They also battle out for the top winning solos, duets, and trios, along with senior kickline routines.  After a long day of sweaty palms, jumping around and re-stretching from nerves, a slight constant nausea from performance jitters, and cheers, it’s refreshing to look across the gym and see the encouraging fan sections filled to the brim with supportive parents dressed head-to-toe in Franklin Poms apparel.  But the only thing keeping us in this gym any longer are the long awaited results.  Is this just going to be another predictable years to put in the books, or will something maybe be different? 
There’s just something in the way we perform. Maybe it’s the brand new, purple costumes everyone fell in love with at first sight. “...What team are you?” asked a Brookfield East High School dancer in confusion. I thought she knew who I was, but I guess not. Also confused, I said, cut off by the extreme intrigue and awe of the opponent“Uh…we’re just-” “Are you guys Franklin?!” Laughing to myself I reply with a smile and a casual “Yeah…”  “I LOVE your costumes!!!” she shouted. And at that moment I knew we were about to blow the crowd out of stands. So I sent a genuine“Thank you!” her way.
Maybe it’s the bona fide smiles and expressions during our performance portraying the real love we all have for what we do. Maybe it’s the technique of our dancers, the strength in number, the level of skill of tricks, the way we dance as one when we are really thirty one.  Maybe it’s the fiery desire burning deep within the passionate heart of each girl, knowing that this is it: the last chance, the last opportunity to finally get what we came here for; the 2012 Badgerette Midwest Grand Champion title.
Well whatever it is, it made our dreams come true.  Nothing was more powerful than the tears bursting out of our eyes, the tightest embraces of our lives with each other, and the satisfaction knowing that we have reached our full potential and won Midwest!  We got to re-perform short and kickline, resulting in the largest standing ovation and empowering/rewarding roar upon finishing a routine that I have ever witnessed.  However, they somehow ‘forgot’ to let us re-show our open routine.  We all know it was so that we didn’t make Greendale look too bad…but hey.  We got what we came here for- our big title!  We finally pummeled our enemy to the ground, and oh did it feel great!  We could do anything!  We were limitless!  Those were the happiest tears of my life, and the trophy was ours.  That’s why the Franklin Poms team of the 2012-13 school year is known as the #DreamTeam.