Mercy’s powerful Pom
The Mercy Varsity Pom team performing at a football game. Because Mercy is an all girls school and has no football team, the girls take advantage of every opportunity they get to show school spirit. Fair Use: Instagram
Monday morning, 6:30 a.m. The Mercy Varsity Pom team (MVP) files into the gym, preparing themselves for their practice. They know they have to hit every move, keep in time with each other, and wow everyone watching. The coach instructs the girls as they take their positions and the music rolls in. Then they’re on. Every beat, every movement, every day is a chance to improve, to perfect their routine, and that is something the MVP strives for every day.
Since the spring, the team has been working for months in preparation for events and competitions. Starting the season with a camp at Davenport University, the girls quickly got into the swing of things. Now the girls are preparing for an upcoming competition called High Kick on Nov. 11. One of the team’s captains, junior Rachel Pierson, motivates and leads the team in preparation for the upcoming event.
“We practice from 6 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday every week,” said Pierson. “When we have events coming up, we try to fit in night practices too.”
The Pom team has been enjoying a variety of events to present their skills to an audience, not just at competitions. The team performed at the University of Detroit Jesuit homecoming game during halftime.
“[Performing at the homecoming game] was fun just because every other Pom team gets to do football games and being able to do that was cool,” said Pierson. “Because we don’t have a football team, being able to get the opportunity [to perform] was really fun.”
Even with many events and competitions under their belts, the season is far from over. The girls will be competing and practicing through March this year. With many more competitions, Catholic Leagues, and States approaching in the winter months, the team is preparing to train harder than they have all year.
“[We] are looking forward to States and High Kick because I think we could place really well because we have a really cool routine,” said Pierson. “Being able to place well at states with a team with more than half first year members on the team is something we’re striving for.”