Historic wins for Star Dancers: Ascension Hill Country Country Challenge Results

ALL TOGETHER: The Star Dancers pose after winning Overall Grand Champion JV Team.

Rachel Maddox and Jace Arriaga
February 28, 2023

Butterflies tumble and flutter in her stomach as she leaps into the spotlight. Her hands are steady, each count echoing in her mind. Her face doesn’t show any of this, plastered with a smile. She’s run this hundreds of times, each pirouette exuding the patience that is pitched into the work. She finishes her solo, the thrill of the performance still imprinted in her soul.

For the Silver Stars, each performance lingers with the same energy of their first. Last week the Silver Stars and Star Dancers took to the stage to compete at Johnson High School. The dancers competed in various categories such as Hip-Hop, Contemporary and Kick.

“Going into contest, we were feeling a bit nervous about a few parts of our dances,” senior and Star Dancer Emily Williams said. “but overall really excited and confident that we could do really well.”

Nerves were a common feeling for both Junior Varsity and Silver Stars. The two groups were there from the early hours of the morning to late into the evening.

“I did a solo,” junior and Silver Star Caitlin Sauceda said. “It was pretty fun, though a little scary.”

This was not only a big day for the dancers present, it was also historic for Bowie Star Dancers. This was the first time that Junior Varsity has ever won the overall grand champ JV team.

“When they announced that we had won overall grand champion JV team, it was so unreal,” Williams said. “Hearing that and watching one of our seniors receive the award was super special.”

At Johnson High, both teams were successful in their competitions, with some of the most notable awards for the Silver Stars being XL Team Champion in Team Kick and the Officers taking home Champion in Contemporary, Jazz and Modern. The JV team walked away with the JV Champion in Jazz, Pom and Novelty.

“We had some pretty good runs,” Sauceda said. “I don’t think anyone really messed up like too big during the dances. I think they were pretty solid runs.”