On Sunday, Jan. 16, the Kennedy kickline team participated in its first competition in school history. Many friends, family members and classmates accompanied the girls to Uniondale High School and cheered them on as they danced against other teams from across Long Island in hopes of bringing home the first-place trophy.
The girls worked for weeks preparing a dance for the day. They learned choreography which they would use to compete in the kick category. When the competition finally came, they were ready to win. The girls' hard work and dedication was evident from the beginning, and it was something the judges picked up on as well, as the girls finished in third place.
Though they did not win first, the team members were still proud of their accomplishment. “We’ve come such a long way to become such a strong team," co-captain Caterina De Turris said. "No matter what happened, we knew we did the best we could, and that’s all that truly matters in the end.”
The competition brought the girls closer together and has proven to be a learning experience for all of them. The victory was a great way to end the season and the squad really appreciated the opportunity they were given.
“The team was so excited just to be competing for the first time in school history,” said Kayla Epstein, who is co-captain alongside De Turris. “Winning third place just made the experience even more amazing for us.”
The success of their first competition already has the girls discussing competition for next year. According to Epstein, the squad may branch out and compete in both pom and kick categories.
Congratulations to the entire kickline team on their success this year! If you come to the final few basketball games of the season, you can watch the girls in action, and support the Cougars in the process.
