On Nov. 22 the Railiners took second in the 5A state dance competition. This was a very exciting accomplishment for the team to have. 

“It feels kind of crazy because we’re a public school getting second. We compare it to all the schools that we were in top six with, they have access to a lot of resources, they are better funded, and then coming from a random school, like Newton and getting second in the state is kind of crazy,” sophomore Mabel Wall said. 

In order for the team to make this accomplishment, it took a lot of time and dedication. They would have practice every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Each of these practices would be two hours long. Since the girls on the team spend so much time together every week, they get to know each other very well. 

“Our team is extremely goofy, willing to learn, do anything for each other and so much more. We really are each other’s best friends in and outside of dance and I think that is what helps us be so successful,” senior Kennedy Seidl said. 

While spending time with each other as a team helped them have fun, it also helped them achieve their goals. The time that they spent together helped them build trust in one another. Since they all have personal goals, being able to trust each other is very important. They have to be able to trust that their teammates are going to go out on the dance floor, and give it their all. 

“Because of our trust we knew we knew each other’s work ethics, and it helped us build ourselves up and each other,” said senior Rileigh Hankins. 

Setting personal goals also helped the dancers throughout this season. Some girls had goals like always continuing and pushing themselves, while others had goals like not taking things too seriously and having fun. No matter what their goals were, having goals helped them to do their best throughout the season. 

“The goal I set for myself was to make sure I was giving everything I can for our team. This includes many hours outside of dance everynight to make sure I am set up physically and mentally to better our team,” said Seidl.