On Feb. 27 the state dance competition was held in Kansas City, Mo., and saw teams from all over the state coming to show off their skills. The varsity team won this competition for the third year in a row, according to modta.org.

“It felt pretty great because the third [year] is usually the hardest to win because we’ve won my freshman year, my sophomore year and then this year is the big hump that you have to get over, and to accomplish it, felt really awesome,” junior Ami Miller said.

At this year’s competition, the team performed two different routines that they had been practicing since the beginning of the school year. They worked on these routines to make sure the dances were polished before the competition.

In the time between their national and state competitions, the dance team spent one week practicing from four to eight in order to make sure that they were adequately prepared.

“Preparing for state is always hard because it is after nationals,” senior Zoe Bockstadter said. “But we always do a great job of keeping each other motivated and reminding ourselves of the goals we’d set.”

Since state is such a big event, dancers use many different methods in order to help with their nerves. Some choose to meditate, listen to music or change their mindset.

“I always get nervous before big competitions, but I overcome it pretty easily when I remember that there are 14 girls around me whom I’m dancing for, not just myself,” Bockstadter said. “Remembering the time and dedication all of us had made puts me more at ease.”