Determined to place in the finals and make a top-20 statement at Nationals Feb. 4, the Laduettes showed Disney World what Ladue is made of. Their hard work paid off in the best way possible; the girls accomplished their goal, placing 19th in hip-hop out of 100 competitors in the nation.
“For competition dances, we work from August until it’s time to board the plane in February,” senior and captain Susan Mandelker said. “Even at Nationals we were practicing in the parking lot the day before. There’s a lot of work that goes into making each dance performance ready that people don’t know about, as it takes a lot of time in order to make a team of 16 dance as one.”
The girls started training for their national competition before school began in the fall. Coached by Alexandra Whaley Guenther and Julie Fields, they put in extensive hours to rehearse the dances. However, placing at Nationals was no easy feat as the competition was harder than ever before, laying the pressure on thick.
“Nationals was a pretty intense competition,” Mandelker said. “The best of the best from all over the country were there, so it was pretty intimidating, but also really fun. We were constantly meeting girls from all over, watching incredible dances and bonding as a team in the magical world of Disney.”
This year was particularly special for the girls because it was the second consecutive year they made it to the finals. Now a nationally-known team, the Laduettes are preparing to make a bigger name for themselves. However, sophomore Haley Bussard said the team endures extreme pressure at this level of competition.
“Usually during a competition or performance I black out and I don’t remember dancing at all after I’m done,” Bussard said. “Right before we go on I always get really nervous, but once I’m dancing, my nerves go away.”
With less pressure at home, the poms squad gives Ladue a taste of their dancing during the fall and winter. They perform both pom and hip-hop routines at every home football and basketball game and are also a central attraction at pep rally. The dances are choreographed by the captains, Mandelker and junior captain Brooke Hyman, and are coached by Whaley Guenther and Fields.
“They are very dedicated and commit a lot of their time for all of our practices and competitions,” freshman Jordan Kaplan said. “They always push us to do our best and are encouraging.”
Dancing in the center of the gym during pep rally for the entire school is one of the team’s favorite events of the year. They look forward to spreading school spirit before homecoming.
“It is very exhilarating and so much fun to dance for an audience,” sophomore Rachel Taryle said. “I used to be nervous, but just seeing the crowd’s reaction while you dance makes everything worthwhile. Performing at games and pep rally is so much fun because I get so many compliments from all my peers.”
Though they make it look easy during half-time, the girls push themselves at every practice. Their talent may be natural, but perfecting a dance is no easy task.
“Practice can get pretty intense when we are approaching Nationals,” Bussard said. “We have to run the dance over and over again and go through each movement to make sure everyone looks the same.”
They practice for three hours on a normal day, although during competition season the coaches add in four or five hour practices on Saturday mornings. A typical practice consists of running and other exercises, along with rehearsing the dances.
By spending time together at practice and bonding during Nationals, the team acts as one big family. They constantly look out for each
By spending time together at practice and bonding during Nationals, the team acts as one big family. They constantly look out for each
other and help their teammates perform to the best of their ability.
“The feeling of performing with your sisters on a national stage is amazing and something I will never forget,” Mandelker said. “The poms girls are actually a family that sticks by each other no matter what. We’re constantly laughing, but we all work so hard because we all want to do the best that we can not only for ourselves, but for the rest of the girls.”
With big sisters to lead them, the underclassmen feel just as important to the team as their captains. Sticking together as a crew is something the Laduettes value highly.
“Being an underclassman on the team is awesome because I have people to look up to,” Bussard said. “I use the seniors as models for who I want to be when I am older and it motivates me to want to be a better dancer.”
This motivation allowed the girls to work together in uniform and claim their spot at 19th in the nation. The season may be ending, but they will forever cherish their close relationships.
“Overall I think the season went really well,” Taryle said. “We hit some bumps along the way but we were able to overcome them. As the season progressed our team grew stronger and closer, which translated into our dancing and why were able to place so high at Nationals.”
With the spring and summer seasons nearing, the Laduettes will begin training for next year’s national competition in the coming months. They will learn a new dance and hope to blow away the judges at future competitions.
“We saw how much the other teams stepped it up this year, so I know the girls will be super motivated to come back and get top 10 next year,” Mandelker said.
Placing in the top 10 would be a historic first for the girls. It will require strict training and tweaking of their dances, among other team building plans they are making for the summer. In the mean time, they continue to focus on doing what they love.
“Next year we are hoping to take more classes so that as a team we can move to the next level,” Hyman said. “I love both poms and hip-hop because the two different types of dance allow me to express my feelings through what I love to do.”
Kaplan says that this year’s Disney experience is one the girls will never forget. Despite a hip injury from early in the season, she kept her spirits high at Nationals, cheered on her teammates and is looking forward to returning this spring.
“I was sad that I couldn’t dance at Nationals, but it was still great watching the girls dance and cheering them on,” Kaplan said. “I even lost my voice from cheering so loud! It was fun to go back with the coaches, Alexandra and Julie, after the girls performed and tell them how good they looked. I’m so proud of the girls’ accomplishments at Nationals and can’t wait to dance next year.”
In reflection, the girls all agree that this year was one of their best. They faced some of the hardest competition of ever before but came out on top and achieved all of their goals. Not only did they show Disney what Ladue is made of, but they also placed first in hip-hop and fourth in poms at the St. Charles Classic earlier in the season. Now, they turn their focus to the upcoming tryouts beginning March 5.
“I am really proud of the Laduettes and I hope in the future we can make top ten and really represent our school,” Taryle said.
