Sears Centre Varsity 3A part 2: scoring and analysis
The 3A field as Sears Centre was a more diverse group of teams in terms of both geography and experience. Of the 26 teams, 3 call Chicago or the “close-in” suburbs home. Two teams came from the north, with another six from the northwest suburbs. One team traveled from the south ‘burbs. But the heart of the field came from (630) (8 teams) along with the southwest suburbs (6 teams).
Also unique was the judging position being at floor level, as it was last season at Sears. We’ve learned that IRCA (IL Recreational Cheer Association) was fully in charge of the competition, which accounts for both the position of the judges tables and the mandatory tie-breaker. We’ve heard from sources that IHSA would not have broken the tie had it been their contest.
3A was impressive as a group with an average of 79.9 among 26 routines and the top 5 all over 90.5.
The median, or middle, score came in at 81.2. Since it’s more than the average of 79.9, we can say that you can think of the whole group as a “low 80s” instead of “high 70s” quality. Need more proof that this was a great 3A group? When you round the scores to whole numbers, the most common score (the mode) was the high score of 92 (FOUR routines when rounded). And this method also gives us 7 more teams between 85 and 91. Pretty strong all around.
Well over half the routines (17 of the 26!) were pom or jazz/open dance. Stagg led the way for the pom group with an 86.1, though 5 other pom routines ended up in the 70s. Open dance’s average might be a little misleading: three were above 90, and 3 more above 80. Hip hop was very spread-out with Glenbard North’s 1st place 92.3, another routine in the mid-80s, and the rest under 71. As you can see from the graphic, lyrical’s weakest score came in the mid-80s, with another two within sniffing distance of 90, and the highest at 91.5.
And then there are the teams on the rise, whether you’re talking about scores or the direction their programs are headed. Waubonsie Valley leads this group of up-and-comers: they may have surprised you with their excellent lyrical routine a couple times this season, but after Sears Centre, you can count them as legitimate candidates to move into the top tier with a little more experience.
Another one to watch is Naperville Central, not generally known for their lyrical program, but capable of dancing high-scoring lyricals this season. Alongside them are teams trying something new this year (Minooka: open dance; Plainfield Central: lyrical; Lincoln-Way East: open dance). These teams are breaking out of the box and it’s paying off in points and prestige. Finally, a shout-out goes to teams who dared to make significant changes to their routines even after they had scored well at previous contests: Glenbard North’s hip hop and Barrington’s lyrical. In both cases, all that extra work turned very good routines into great ones.