With the first competition of the season coming up on Feb 1, the Strutters are working hard to be prepared for the big day at Grand Oaks H.S. 

 “Practices are more intense during contest season than football season. We have longer practices, so we can clean our dances count by count and put it all together,” senior and Major Sydney Smith said. 

The Strutters have a dozen practices until competition and they are using up all the time they can get. The team had a six hour practice Saturday, Jan 10 in which they finished and cleaned their pom contest routine.

“I like pom because it is fast paced and requires high energy,” sophomore Landry Albright said.  

The girls said they don’t mind all the long, difficult practices because in the end, it is all worth it when the awards start rolling in.

“We won nationals last year and we are trying to win again,” sophomore Lexi Gonzales said.

 At each contest, the Strutters perform three team dances and the military officers perform three additional officer dances. The team dances are jazz, contemporary, and pom, while the officer dances are jazz, open, and contemporary.

“My favorite officer dance is our open piece because at first, we had a lot of trouble with the choreo, but then we changed a lot of it to make it our own,” junior Military Officer Savannah Buus said.  

According to freshman Alona Smothers, the Strutters are working hard and proficiently. She is very proud of all the dedication the team is putting in and she is excited to compete this season.

For more information on Strutters, such as the team, fundraisers, and more, visit the website at kleinoakstrutters.com. To see how the team does at contests, follow the Strutter’s Instagram at @kostrutters.