PALATINE IHSA DANCE COMPETITION PAGE
UPDATES
THURSDAY 1/9/20:
In the IHSA era (2012-now), Palatine and Rolling Meadows have traded hosting duties every other year and this time it’s the Pirates’ turn. But the Palatine Poms program has traditionally hosted a competition every January, going back at least through the early 2000s. It’s a big stage for teams from across the north and northwest suburbs plus one other superstar team from outside the area…
Let’s browse through 1A first. Enjoying a solid season of trophies and good performances is Woodstock North and their pom routine. They’ll be dancing head-to-head against the graceful lyrical style of Lisle, Ridgewood’s hip hop, Johnsburg’s lyrical, and just the second comp of the season for St. Viator.
Geneva will surely pack the gym when they go on for their two dances in 2A. It’s a fierce field! Expect challenges from several teams that will likely appear at state–Vernon Hills, Libertyville, Lake Zurich, Mundelein, and Deerfield. New to 2A this year is Montini, and for the first time this winter, they’ll offer up two routines. It’ll be just the 2nd appearance of the winter by Yorkville. Look for visually entertaining pom work by Wheeling, Rolling Meadows, Solorio, and Buffalo Grove. Judges get to offer up feedback for the technical jazz and lyrical routines from Lake Forest, Hoffman Estates, Lakes, Carmel, and Riverside-Brookfield, along with Shepard’s magnetic hip hop dance.
Over in 3A, two interesting storylines are Harlem and Niles West. Harlem got some well-deserved attention with a 3rd place at Oak Forest to start December and then earned a 4th at Stevenson. Niles West continues its season of reinvention with their 5th appearance, and they’ll have just danced at the conference comp on Thursday night. Two quiet but strong teams are Prospect and Schaumburg; the SHS Sizzlers picked up a 3rd at the Lake Zurich comp in early November. I’m also excited to check out Palatine, winners of the Deerfield comp just before Thanksgiving.
THE LOWDOWN
LOCATION:
Palatine HS. 1111 N. Rohlwing Rd., Palatine, IL 60074
TIME:
Saturday, January 11. 2A routines go from 9:00 through their awards at 12:30. 1A and 3A dance from 1:00 with their awards set for around 4:30
TEAM DIVISIONS:
3A, 2A, 1A, JV 3A, JV 2A
FAN TIPS:
This is THE classic January comp for the Chicago area. Walk through the gym doors, and you’re staring at the floor where classic dance team battles went down in the pre-IHSA era. It’s much like Fremd’s gym across town with an upper balcony on one side. Concessions are near the gym entrance with a roomy cafeteria around the corner. The school is tucked away among ’50s subdivisions, so be sure to watch those speed limits especially on that longgggg stretch on Rohlwing. You can also approach the school from the west…a shorter route through neighborhoods, but still slow. But here’s my fave part of the Palatine comp: while waiting for awards, you get to see an inclusive, celebratory version of what poms is all about. Get ready to stand and clap for the PHS Pep Squad! Then get your phones ready for the over-the-top antics of their traditional guy poms routine. The weather isn’t going to be good on the drive home, so please be careful!
HIGHLIGHTS
(Check back during the week of 1/13)
3A SCORES
| Placement | Team+routine | Unofficial category | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Fremd 1 | Lyrical | 92.08 |
| 2nd | Warren | Hip Hop | 90.87 |
| 3rd | Fremd 2 | Jazz | 88.00 |
| 4th | Oswego East | Lyrical | 86.80 |
| 5th | Conant 1 | Lyrical | 85.60 |
| 6th | Schaumburg | Lyrical | 85.57 |
| 7th | Oswego 1 | Lyrical | 84.40 |
| 8th | Downers Grove South 1 | Jazz | 82.83 |
| 9th | Prospect | Jazz | 79.63 |
| 10th | Waukegan | Hip Hop | 79.30 |
| 11th | Oswego 2 | Lyrical | 78.83 |
| 12th | Downers Grove South 2 | Pom | 78.63 |
| 13th | Glenbrook South 2 | Pom | 77.15 |
| 14th | Leyden | Lyrical | 76.70 |
| 15th | Niles North | Lyrical | 75.97 |
| 16th | Loyola 2 | Pom | 75.43 |
| 17th | Larkin | Jazz | 75.00 |
| 18th | Glenbrook South 1 | Jazz | 72.23 |
| 19th | Loyola 1 | Lyrical | 70.87 |
| 20th | New Trier | Hip Hop | 70.27 |
| 21st | Morton | Jazz | 69.37 |
| 22nd | Palatine | Pom | 67.13 |
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