Senior co-captain Calla Place works tirelessly at dance practice and continuously performs her dance routines in preparation for the upcoming dance competition. She comes to early morning practice ready to put in the work and execute the dances perfectly. Mediocrity is not an option for her. When it is finally time for the competition, she is ready to lead the team alongside senior captain Anna Buckman. They dance their hearts out and at the end of the day, they are proud of their accomplishments. 

The Mercy Varsity dance team has an eight-month season starting in June and ending in late February. It is a very demanding sport and calls for dedication from all team members. If even one dancer is off her game, it is easy for the whole team to fall behind. In the past two years, the team has been in the top ten in every competition and in 2017, they won the Catholic League championship.   

“When we won the Catholic League championship, it was so fun,” said Place. “I was so excited, especially since I was a freshman, and it was so cool to see all of our hard work from the whole season pay off.”

Although the team has not won the Catholic League championship since 2017, they are still hopeful for this season. So far, the results from competitions this year have not been what they had hoped, despite all their hard work, but they are still hopeful for the future. In late January to early February, the dance team will be in Orlando, Florida to compete in the UDA nationals. The girls know that they have to put in the work in order to get the results that they want, and they are prepared to do so. 

“We have had two competitions so far, and have not placed very high in either of them,” said Place. “However, this will not stop us from working our hardest and trying to do better in future competitions.”