Two titles, one team
West Valley Middle School shines at Nationals
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The West Valley Middle School dance team made program history at the UDA national championships in Orlando, Florida, winning titles in Pom and Gameday while finishing third in Jazz for three top-three finishes as a program. - Photo submitted
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West Valley Middle School’s girls basketball team won a second consecutive Class AAA state title Saturday with a victory over Mt. Juliet. The victory at Rockvale High School culminated a perfect 33-0 season for the Lady Wolves. - Photo submitted
When people use the term “best two out of three,” they typically mean whoever wins two out of three times during a competition.
The West Valley Middle School dance team took that term literally, finishing as the best team in two different categories at the Universal Dance Association’s national championships at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Feb. 6-7.
Their results led the way for local teams, as multiple local organizations competed at the Orlando, Florida, competition.
WVMS finished as the top team in Gameday and Pom with a third-place finish in Jazz.
The Gameday title meant even more than one would think, as WVMS had come in second in that category each of the last three years.
“Especially for Gameday, it’s something we’ve been working for these last few years trying to figure out what would take us from getting second to finally coming in first,” head coach Catherine Brasfield said. “To see that come together and pay off was really exciting.”
This marked the team’s first national title since 2021, and it was Brasfield’s first title as head coach in her fourth year with the program.
“We didn’t really go in thinking we would try to win, just to achieve our goals and anything beyond that would be amazing,” Brasfield said. “From start to finish, the kids went beyond what was required of them. They were incredibly on board and very determined and had goals in their minds.”
In high school results, Farragut finished 19th in Small Varsity D1 Jazz despite facing plenty of obstacles along the way. Meanwhile, the Farragut middle school program finished second in Jazz and second in Pom.
“This season has been an incredible one for our high
school team,” Farragut dance coach Macy Brink said. “They have come together from the
beginning with an incredible bond, which allowed them to persevere through a lot. We are so proud of their work ethic and perseverance through the course of this season. Then for our
middle school, this was the
largest one we’ve ever had; and it’s been such an honor to see them grow as dancers, teammates and humans. It was a season with a lot of laughter and growth.”
Bearden High School took 11th in Small Varsity D1 Pom and fifth in Medium Varsity Gameday to finish off the local results.
