2010 Region Champions!!!

Tuesday night was the Region 4 Drill Team Competition and our girls won!!!!! They did an amazing job and danced their hearts out. They actually beat the #1 team in the state to win this competition. I still can hardly believe it. I know it seems dumb to be this excited over a Region Championship, but I have been so excited I can hardly sleep!! I know! I am weird! But let me try to explain......this year Lone Peak was changed to a different Region. We are now in the toughest Region in the state. Not just in Drill Team but in everything from Football to Basketball to Baseball, everything, you name it. The top teams in sports in the state of Utah are in this Region. Hill Crest High School has always had the top drill team in the state. For as long as I can remember. They took State last year, and this year took first in every dance they competed in. Lone Peak has never beaten them. Never! Brighton High School is in our Region, last year they were 3rd in state and we were 4th. So the top 3 drill teams in the state were in our region. So far this year we always seemed to place right behind Brighton in our dances. There are also 4 other very good teams in our Region, Alta, Jordan, Pleasant Grove and American Fork. It is just one tough Region! We have not been excited about having to compete in it. I would not say that we came in as an under dog, but we most certainly were not expected to win. I think the girls believed they could win, but as a mom who has sat through competition after competition I wasn't so sure. I was hoping for a 2nd or a 3rd, just a chance to compete for state really. As the competition began it became apparent that some of these other schools thought they had it in the bag or something.........Lone Peak came out on Fire!!!! I have never seen them dance so good!!! It was a close competition but in the end our girls were crowned the Region Champions, much to the shock of HillCrest the reigning state champions! It was so unexpected, which made it that much more exciting. I am so happy for Mckenzie and the rest of the senior girls that they were able to pull this off their senior year! Wow!!! Not only can our girls dance but we have smart girls too! When they announced the All Region Academic awards that are given out to all the drill girls that have a 3.75 GPA or above, Lone Peak had 13 of their 18 girls get that award, including McKenzie. What is amazing is that most of those 13 girls actually have 4.0 GPA's (including McKenzie) Most schools only have 6 or 7 girls get the award. Hill Crest only had 2! McKenzie also received another award that is handed out to 3 girls from each School, it was for being an Outstanding drill Team Member for at least 2 years and is voted on by their team mates. That was a nice Honor for her to be recognized by her team mates! I am so very proud of these girls. They work so hard and to win Region when you weren't really expecting it is a feeling that can't be described in words!! State Competition in coming up next week on January 29th. They will be competing against all of the top 4 teams in every Region. It will be tough, but I think they will do well. McKenzie said they watched their tapes in practice and still see lots they can improve on, so they will continue to work hard to get ready. I was too nervous at the competition to take pictures, so these are just a couple that I took after..............

Bobby and Autumn both came to support Mckenzie! Bobby got pretty excited and was really impressed with their dancing. He had never been to a competition of this magnitude before. Autumn came late because of work, but was able to see their last dance and stay for awards. Summer came also, but had to leave before awards.

Below is a picture with Nikki Ashton. She was Summers Drill coach and comes back and works with the Drill team doing Choreography and cleaning. She also runs the Drill camps that they attend during the summer.

I thought I would put some pictures in of the Drill team when they don't have their hair pulled back and all the gobs of make up on that they have to wear to compete. They are all beautiful girls!!

These are the Seniors. These girls have danced together for years! Even before they were on the Drill team! As you can see, they enjoy each other very much. McKenzie has said one of the best things about being on drill is that you have 17 Best Freinds!!!!