Most people would have no idea what actually goes into a competition-worthy pom routine. HMS is an exception to that rule; they know exactly the dedication, talent, and grit that is needed to achieve a stellar pom performance. In fact, next season will start with tryouts this May, keeping in mind that these tryouts will build next year’s team.
Pompon teaches students about life. “It’s a commitment; you cannot do it halfway…” says HMS team member Emilee Stryzinski. “It grows on you, it’s your family.” The bonds that are created are formed through cooperation, dedication, and hard work. Jyllian Corwin says, “It’s not only a sport, but it’s a family. They are like your second sister.” This sport teaches so much about how to communicate and follow directions, which are skills that are easily transferable to every aspect of life in the future.
The season starts in the Fall for football game performances, but ramps up dramatically in the late Fall. That is then when practices become more demanding, both of time commitment and physical dedication that it takes to be great. During the competition season, student-athletes practice anywhere from 10-15 hours per week to master their craft. The team typically competes in three competitions, two of which are sponsored by Mid-American Pom, with the latter sponsored by the Michigan Pom Association.
A typical practice starts with conditioning, followed by a warm-up that is provided by Mid-American Pom. On average, student-athletes work for 30-40 minutes before actually starting on drills. The focus then goes to the drilling of the actual routine. A quintessential practice can have a run-time of two to three hours.
The Power of Yet is the backbone of our middle school team. Coach Miller adds, “...middle school Poms prepares the girls for high school by teaching them confidence. After walking off the performance floor, the confidence inside of you skyrockets. It makes you feel like you can do anything. Having that confidence makes it easy to do presentations and speak in front of the classroom.”
For more information about this or other positive happenings at Hemlock Public School District call (989) 642-5282.