By Anthony J. Machcinski
The stereotypical high school cheerleader is pictured as a teenager with pom-poms and a short skirt dating the quarterback on the football team. Lyndhurst Dance team looks to blow that notion off the dance floor.
The dancers showed off their moves and eventually captured the New Jersey Cheering and Dance Coaches Association (NJCDCA) title, proving that they were the best dance team in the state.
“I had an idea we could be successful after I had the amount of turnout in tryouts,” said head coach Stephanie Hykey. “We just had a lot of talent.”
The group won the title on Feb. 25 and placed second at the national championship on Mar. 3.
Winning the title has special meaning for Hykey, a Lyndhurst High School alumna from 2002 and member of the dance team during her tenure at the school. Nearly a decade later, Hykey takes pride in her team.
“I feel like it means more as a coach because I know they’re winning under my guidance. “(As a member of the team), I’m only one dancer. Being on the team it’s harder to get the girls together. I’m sure I would have loved to win one, but it’s nice to see all the time that we put into it and realize it’s paying off.”
The rewarding experience is one that Hykey shares with her players. Senior Sarah Wohlrab, who joined the team when she was a freshman, has felt the same way.
“I was so happy (when we found out we won),” she said giddily. “I’m so proud of my girls for all of their hard work and dedication, getting to practices, and giving it their all.”
Wohlrab, who joined the team after a few older members on the squad pressed her to try out when she was a freshman, also cited the comradery between the members as one of the more rewarding experiences.
“We get to be ourselves and get to know each other more,” Wohlrab said. “I was inspired by (what the older members told me) so I just did it.”
With their state win this year, Hykey sees the possibility for this kind of success next year.
“We’re only losing just one senior,” Hykey said. “We have a pretty young team and I’m thinking that the rest will come back.”
With Lyndhurst’s first state dance title ever, this group of girls has something to be proud of.
