Meet the Logan dance drill team
LOGAN, Utah — With their signature high kicks and low splits, Logan High School’s Hi-Lo team is competing a little differently this year. While most teams are filled with girls who have danced since they were little, only six of the fourteen Hi-Los had formal dance lessons before trying out. Yet they are all competing at the same level as the other drill teams in their region.
This is Coach Maile Roberts’ first year as head coach, but she has years of legacy. When she attended Logan High, she was a Hi-Lo for three years. She enjoys showing the girls her love of the sport with the assistance of her other coaches, Courteney Joseph and Paige Grantham.
A drill team is a hardcore dance team; while it’s not stunted, they have rigorous routines to perform at competitions and at high school games. At Logan High, the Hi-Los are a part of the Spirit Squad with the cheerleaders. This means they not only dance at the pep rallies but also help with participation at assemblies. They perform at home games throughout the year and even host a Hi-Lo Mini Clinic for future dancers to get a taste of the fun.
While this sounds like all fun, the Hi-Los also compete against the other drill teams in their region. This year, their team had only four returning members, so it would already be a building year, but the Hi-Los would soon include eight girls who had no professional dance lessons. This may seem stressful to some, but it did not stop these girls from working their hardest to be at the same level as everyone else in the region.
“We practice 20 hours a week, with every spare minute going to preparation for competitions,” explained Coach Roberts, “But I have seen these girls blossom and their confidence grow because they are comparable to the other dance teams with years of experience. They are competing at the same level!” At their last competition, the girls were only two points behind the next team.
The coaches appreciate the help from the four class representatives that help drive the team and buoy participation at pep rallies. As they finished out their competitions, the Hi-Los received their highest scores of the season in the semifinals. Despite not advancing to finals, they know that the growth they have achieved this year has been awe-inspiring.
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