Jazz team on center stage at state
Photo by Kat Ladwig
The Forest Lake jazz dance team debuted in their first state appearance last Friday at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
The girls earned 12th place out of 12 teams, but received various rankings from the eight-panel judging team. Two judges placed the Rangers in ninth place, two more scored them in 11th while the deciding four judges placed Forest Lake in 12th.
Head coach Cheryl Smoczyk said it was a disappointing finish compared to the strong section performance that gave them the state bid. The coach also said the girls were nervous due to the new experience of state competition, and that can lead to mistakes such as uniformity in turn sets, something the Rangers struggled to execute in the third set.
With just one senior, Hayley Waldoch, graduating, Smoczyk said the Forest Lake dance team hopes to return to state next year.
