The Huntley Farmside

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Volume 40 No. 31
Farmside
Your hometown newspaper
Thursday Aug. 3,2000
© 2000 Press-Republican Ne'wspapers
On to Orlando
Huntley High School poms earn a shot at Nationals
by Jan St. James
Huntley-Marengo editor
The Huntley High School pompon squad consists of Kristen Vetter, Hanna Swanson, Kelli Wingate, Megan Parker, Susan Castellanos, Tracey Bien, Michelle Lovins, Jessie McGuire, Jackie Zange, Heather Hayes, Kara Harner and Melissa Pare.
And Shelly Curtiss, coach of the Huntley High School PomPon Squad, is quick to say "This is such a good team. I love them all."
Talent and teen-age charm aside, Curtiss has even more reason to love her team. The girls attended the Universal Dance Association Camp at Northern Illinois University recently and proudly brought back:
One! A first-place trophy for their home routine.
Two! A superior trophy for their out¬ standing individual performances.
Three! A spirit stick for their great attitudes and hard work.
It doesn't stop there, either. The recognition gathered at NIU qualifies the poms for the National Dance Team Championships next Feb. 2 through 6 at the MGM Studios in Orlando, Fla.
"I couldn't be htippier with their per¬ formance," Curtiss said. "I'm very happy to have this team this year. I'm very proud of them."
Curtiss has been coaching the pom pon squad for nine years, and has had teams go to nationals in the past.
"The teams don't always get a first so we don't always go," she said. "But going to nationals has a tremendous impact on the girls who do go. Almost all the time when a former squad mem¬ ber is asked what their best memory of high school is, they say 'Going to nation¬ als with pompon.' It's quite an experi¬ ence."
As their NIU victory indicates, the squad definitely has the talent to get them to a national competition. Now all that remains is the details - the funds needed to get them to Florida in search of their next win.
"It costs $800 to $1000 per girl to make the trip," Curtiss said. "All of their money has to be in by the begin¬ ning of December. That's pretty soon when you think about it."
Celebrating a win that means moving on national competition are Huntley Pom Pon Squad members (bottom row, from left) Kristen Vetter, Hanna Swanson, Kelli Wingate, Megan Parker; (middle row, from left) Susan Castellanos, Tracey Bien, Michelle Lovins, Jessie McGuire; and (top row, from left) Jackie Zange, Heather Hayes, Kara Harner and Melissa Pare.
So you don't have to do the math: for a group of 14 poms and one coach that means the squad has to raise between $12,000 and $15,000 in a mere four months.
All the excitement - and pressure to raise funds - is doubled for senior pom Megan Parker. Megan was named UDA All Star, which means she is qualified to travel to Paris, France to perform with
other All Stars from around the world. Funding Megan's Paris trip will require an additional $2000.
In light of all this, there will be fund- raising as soon as possible. In the past, the girls have held candy sales, clinics, drawings and helped the Lions Club with its pancake breakfast in exchange for a portion of the profits. It isn't clear what type of fund-raiser will take place
first, but there is no doubt it will be underway very soon.
In the meantime, if anyone would like to contribute funds or offer fund-rais¬ ing ideas or assistance to the squad, please call Huntley High School at (847) 669-5171 and leave a message for Shelly Curtiss.