Part 1: The now-former Morris Coach looks back at an exceptional run in competitive dance

by Norm Ramil / 8CA.music.person & dance.fan

The Morris Dance Team! That program stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the other huge names in Illinois dance, and it’s been like that since the 1990s. One woman had more to do with that than anyone else, and she now transitions to the challenging role of first-year former coach.

Morris is no stranger to being featured on this blog (here’s one post from 2016 and another from last fall). When I came across a closed-door party room for the Morris Poms at IDTA State in 2004, I honestly had no idea who Becky Bernardi was (plus, back then her last name was Struck). As far as I knew, she could’ve been any one of the dancers on a team of precise, always-matching athletes. She was on the team that some of my music clients had to go up against, and they were feared and respected. I didn’t know the team, so I stayed outside of that room, just in awe of one of the most dominant teams of that era, and the next era, and the one after that.

The Morris Poms (MVP for short) were crushing it way before anyone used that phrase, racking up multiple championships in Pom Dance and Hip Hop in their IDTA era (’97-’08) and their time in TDI (’08-’13). And in the IHSA era (’13 to now), Morris has always danced on Day 2 at state. Their dance room walls can barely hold up all of that hardware. 

Bernardi has her fingerprints all over many of those feats as both a dancer and then a coach. The even-keeled mastermind has just stepped down from coaching and continues on as an English teacher and yearbook advisor at Morris (MCHS), while also expecting her first baby. Trusted former assistant and MVP alum Megan Carlson is now in charge, and we’ll take a look at her coaching story coming up in part 2!

Lots of love and thanks to Coach for taking the time to do our email interview!

How did you get started in dance?

I was a competitive gymnast most of my childhood. Once I hit about 7th/8th grade, I got burnt out and MCHS [Morris Community HS] didn’t have a competitive gymnastics team, so I tried out dance. I took my first class during my 8th grade year, tried out for poms and made it as an alternate.

What was it like being on such a successful team?

I ended up graduating with 13 other seniors on our squad, so to say our class was talented is an understatement. Our coach saw this given she took several alternates and decided to create the first ever Morris JV Poms team. We competed in aerobic funk [what we later, thankfully, called the Hip Hop category] and dance [later renamed the “Open Dance” in TDI and “Jazz” category in IDTA] and tied for first at our first JV State. I was on varsity for the remaining 3 years where I was a captain during my senior season.

I loved everything about high school and being on poms, so it’s hard to choose a favorite memory. Aside from successful competitions and many state championships, my favorite parts were probably football games and being with my best friends all the time. By the end of my senior season, I had won six varsity state titles through IDTA (sophomore, junior, senior years).

Were you able to continue dancing after Morris?

After high school, I went to Illinois State University and it was hard not dancing for a year, so I auditioned and became a UDA instructor for one summer season and then tried out for the ISU Competitive Dance Team where I participated for a year and traveled to NDA Nationals in Orlando. (To be honest, I have no memory of how we placed, ha!)

What would you say are your technical strengths?

As far as technical specialties, I’d say my strong suit is cleaning routines, helping athletes improve at technique, and building confidence. When it comes to choreography, I’d say pom is probably my stronger suit, but I’m not completely confident doing choreography on my own. My favorite styles are pom and jazz, but I love watching hip hop when it’s impressive.

When did you first think about one day coaching?

When I was in high school, I always talked about wanting to become a teacher and coach. I just loved my experience so much I wanted to share that with others! When I was in Junior English, our teacher had us write on a note card where we saw ourselves in 10 years. I just got mine last year and it said “teaching & coaching.” Surprise!

How did you get the opportunity to coach your old team, and what were some of the early challenges?

Prior to getting hired at MCHS, I was asked to judge tryouts (April) and had an interview later that month where I was hired as an English teacher. It was in the interview that I learned the previous coach was leaving and they asked if I would be interested! The rest is history.

Lots of challenges that first year…mostly to do with parents to be honest. I was a first year teacher and a first year coach. Obviously, I knew a lot about the program having been on the team, but I didn’t realize the drama that could explode being on the other side! I learned a lot that year and made a lot of changes personally as a coach, and it got better very quickly.

Of all the accomplishments of your teams over the years, do certain moments or people stand out?

We had a lot of success in IDTA, but when I think about accomplishments and particular moments, it’s all of the IHSA stuff that comes to mind. For a while, I was probably most proud when we qualified for day two that first year of IHSA State. It was all so new, and we had no idea what to expect. The first time we hit podium three years ago was amazing, and I’m so proud to have had that same experience the past two years. Beyond that, I’m very proud to mention Morris has won IHSA Sectionals every year it’s been around, and we’ve won our conference competition for the last five years. Last year was my first trip (and Morris’s 2nd) to UDA Nationals and the whole experience was amazing. Our goal was to make it past prelims in either pom or jazz and we ended up blasting through that goal and making it to finals in both. MVP is now a national ranked team in both medium pom and medium jazz, and I am so excited that that’s an experience I get to go out on.

How did the program change during your coaching tenure? Any thoughts on how the sport has evolved since you danced on the team?

Oh boy. It’s so different! Not only has the sport changed in Illinois, but the whole world of dance has changed. It’s so much harder to be successful now because of two reasons: (1) the nature of IHSA and how the process has changed, and (2) the increased competitiveness of teams across Illinois. It was difficult to wrap my mind around the early days of IHSA when we were first competing different styles against one another. And although there are definitely still things I think need to be worked out, it has really improved dance in the state of Illinois. Now, you don’t just have to be the best ‘pom’ team in the state, but your pom has to be better than another team’s strongest genre. It makes being successful so much more enjoyable and meaningful knowing that you are one of the TOP 12 dance teams in the state. Let alone get on the podium and/or win first place. It’s crazy.

What were some of the challenges you and your team overcame over the years, and how did you do it?

I think the biggest challenge was the shift to IHSA. We competed pom for the first few years, and although we did well, we wanted to do better. We made the difficult decision to mess with Morris tradition and drop hip hop to pick up a jazz routine. We had no idea how it would go that first year. At every regional our pom score and our jazz score would shift. One competition we would do better with pom and at another we would do better with jazz. It was a difficult decision to decide which one to take to the postseason. At the time Megan and I were probably more confident with our pom routine, but then again, we weren’t dancing, so ultimately, we left it up to the girls to decide. They wanted to focus on jazz, and we were terrified, so here we were during sectionals week doing whatever we possibly could to perfect our jazz routine. In the end, I’m SO glad we left it up to the girls because that’s the first year we got on the podium!

Do you have an overall fave memory of coaching?

Of course when I think back I remember the successes I’ve had as a coach, but I think what I’m most proud of is the girls. They are so dedicated, respectful, fun, and confident. The best compliment I have gotten is when parents come to me after a month, a year, or an entire career and thank me because their daughter has grown not only as a dancer, but as a person. I think dance teaches SO many things, but being a part of a team and a program teaches much more.

Did your coaching story turn out how you expected, and where you hope the Morris Dance program will be in 5 years?

I never knew how long I’d last, haha. Every year I would think, should this be it? I’m glad to have gone out on an amazing year, and I’m thankful for the great people I have gotten to know throughout this process. I’m so proud of the program and can’t wait to see what continues. The program is in great hands and I know they will continue to be successful. I’m looking forward to seeing Morris continue to produce amazing routines, kind girls, and lots of trophies! I might be done coaching, but I will always be their #1 fan!

Any advice for newer coaches?

My advice for new coaches would be to remember that it’s YOUR program. Traditions are fantastic, and they are so fun to keep up! But sometimes, some traditions need to go, and you can make that decision. Dance team is about more than just dance. Teach these teenagers to be competitive but also confident, NICE, funny people. You can’t go wrong if everyone is having fun.

Coming up in Part 2: Getting to know Morris’s new head coach Megan Carlson!