Strongsville High School Dance Team Earns Honors

The Strongsville Dance Team came away from the National Dance Alliance at Kent State University with top honors and gold medals.

The four-day camp gave the team a chance to learn new routines, as well to bond.

"We went to camp barely knowing each other and came out closer than ever,” said Amanda Budzick, captain. “The dances we learned were challenging but we practiced and improved a lot throughout the four days."

Strongsville Dance Team received all high and top honors, including Gold Team Performance, Superior Team Performance, Technical Excellence, Superior Home Routine, and Superior Showmanship.  

The team also earned a bid to the 2014 NDA Nationals in Orlando, FL.

The dance team performs at Strongsville High School home varsity basketball games. The team is open to all grade levels; tryouts for the next year are held at the end of the winter sports season. 

Coach Abby Pecoraro said in a news release that “these girls made me so proud and accomplished so much in four days. They make what I do more rewarding than they will ever know."

Captains Sarah Young, Maddie Winget and Amanda Budzick received gold for their Team Leader routine. They also choreographed a routine for the team that was evaluated at camp and received a Superior rating.

Andrea Libal, Haley Brengartner, Amanda, Budzick and Sarah Palocko all received Top Gun awards in competitions for the best Hip Hop, Turns, Kicks and Leaps. 

Haley Brengartner, Andrea Libal, and Sarah Young were selected for the NDA All-American Team. Amanda Budzick, Sarah Palocko and Maddie Winget were also nominated. All-American nominees are chosen by the camp managers based on technique, spirit, showmanship and leadership.

“The team had a great time at NDA camp” Maddie said. “We are excited for the upcoming season and are looking forward to working hard.”

Sarah Young, team captain, plans to get the girls more involved at the high school and with various events throughout Strongsville and surrounding areas. 

“NDA camp was a great start to our year. We walked out as a much closer and stronger team than when we walked in and we are excited to continue to get our name out there.”