Rebelettes win first national championship
The Vestavia Hills High School Rebelettes competitive dance team walked away with the school’s first ever team dance National Championship after climbing past four teams over the weekend in the national competition. More than 2,600 dancers representing 30 states and 5,000 spectators took part in the three-day National High School Dance Association (NDA) competition in Orlando.
Mary Prickett, VHHS senior captain, said it was the “greatest moment of her life.” Others were speechless. “I’ve never felt this way,” one mom said moments before the VHHS crowd rushed the stage. “Our daughters have been dancing their entire lives. I’m just so excited.”
The first two days of the competition saw Vestavia Hills separate itself from the field during the preliminaries. A strong team performance on Saturday gave them a berth into the finals.
“After we finished fifth during the preliminary round, we knew we had to step up our game for the finals.” said VHHS senior co-captain Abigail White.
Sunday’s team dance national championship finals pitted high schools from states spanning the country including California, New York, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Alabama. The team's head coach, Faith Lenhart, says the squad's dedication to push each other to be their best was behind their success.
"The girls worked extremely hard and believed in themselves and in being the team that could make history for the school," Coach Lenhart said.
The VHHS Rebelette team was founded in the 1970s and has over 2,000 alumni around the world. The team has placed in the top ten in the nation for sixteen consecutive years, but this is the first National Championship in school history.
“The VHHS Rebelette program has a culture of excellence that goes back decades. This championship is for all the dancers that came before us.” said Kate Richardson, VHHS senior co-captain.
The team is celebrating at Universal Studios Monday and will fly back to Birmingham on Tuesday.
Varsity Team Members:
Morgan Anthony, Anna Bochnak, Maggie Evans, Margaret Ann Green, Lauren Ann Holmes, Luisa Horta, Mary Prickett, Kate Richardson, Riley Richardson, Maddie Robison, Hayden Speegle, Abbie Stockard, Abigail White
Coaches:
Faith Lenhart (Head Coach), Charity Jones (JV Coach)
--Submitted by Darin White.