Oak Park High School’s cheer and dance teams hosted their third annual Showdown on Nov. 16. Loretta Brown, Tim Chavelier and Danielle Sisso acted as judges for the event by rating each performance out of ten, but the audience had the final vote. In first place and winning $300, was boys baseball with their “Mr. Worldwide” theme.
Behind the scenes, they started by recruiting people to be part of the event. The cheer and dance team members then split up into smaller groups with the other athletic teams.
“The cheerleaders and dancers create a routine for their team and organize meetings and practices with their team to prepare them for the event. They practice together for approximately a month,” Varsity Head Cheer Coach Mara Smialek wrote to the Talon. “On the administrative side of things, myself, my Team Mom Lacey Yantis and Dance Coach Destiny Ridge work on logistics for the event. This includes judges, scripts, music set up, ticket sales and promoting the event.”
The showdown creates a sense of community amongst students, staff, friends and family.
“Students and athletes come and work together from all different sports all while having so much fun,” Smialek wrote. “Dancing and stunting are typically very far out of many of the other athlete’s comfort zones. Yet these kids show up and give the performances their best effort.”
No matter what, people can count on having a good time at the Showdown.
“My favorite part about the showdown is getting to watch everyone’s routine — they’re all usually pretty funny to watch and it’s cool seeing what everyone else has been working on for the last couple of weeks,” Dance Captain Tanisha Sanil wrote to the Talon.
