The competition season is heating up and the results are in from the Arapahoe varsity dance team. The varsity Warriors placed 1st in 3 hip-hop categories at UDA(Universal Dance Association) while Arapahoe JV Tom’s placed 1st and 3rd this past Saturday.
Make sure to keep up with the Toms teams at their upcoming competitions, as they prepare for state which will take place on Saturday December 9, 2023 at the Denver Coliseum for the Varsity team, and on Saturday January 20, 2024 at Cherokee Trail High School for JV.
After a difficult and draining day of Algebra, History, and English, Raleigh Haynes has to face another challenge in her day – a difficult and draining 3 hour practice, Haynes, 9, said, “All of the time we spend practicing goes toward our future on the Toms team. So even when our practices don’t seem as productive, we’re still becoming better dancers and being pushed further along the path of success.”
Typically, high schools refer to their dance teams as “poms,” however at Arapahoe, JV and Varsity dance teams are referred to as “toms”. The image associated with poms dance teams is of course, pom-poms. However, drums known as “tom-toms,” were a Native American ceremonial drum years ago.
Arapahoe High School is well known for the relationships with the Arapaho Tribe and chose to value this relationship through their dance teams title, also representing school spirit. The student body values taking part in remembering and being associated with the Arapaho Tribe, which is why so many students do what they can to be involved.
Obviously, being a part of the Varsity Toms team, led by Coach Kim Amon, Coach Liv Moody and Coach Taylor, at Arapahoe requires dedication and determination, however it is clear that all the dancer’s hard work pays off.
Haynes has been dancing for almost her whole life and has always known she wanted to be a part of an Arapahoe Toms team. But little did she know during the month-long tryout process, that she would end up making varsity as a freshman.
“I started dancing when I was really young and going into high school, I wanted to be a part of the school and I thought joining the dance team would be a good way to get involved.” Haynes said.
The Varsity Toms team rehearses after school for three hours Monday through Friday. They have two or three games they dance at throughout the week. As the Toms enter competition season, they will be adding a couple Saturday practices to prepare.
“All of the time we spend practicing goes towards our future on the Toms team. So even when our practices don’t seem as productive, we’re still becoming better dancers and being pushed further along the path of success.” — Raleigh Haynes
During performances, our Toms put all their effort into boosting school spirit and keeping crowds involved which is no easy task. To create interesting sporting events, the moral of the Toms is really valuable.
With serotonin high, members of Varsity Toms typically run off of adrenaline and focus being in the moment as it’s happening. When asked if having to perform in front of the whole school felt scary, Haynes said,
“It’s more of the excited nervous, like adrenaline, because it’s really fun getting to go out and perform for the school. I used to get very nervous but it’s definitely gotten better over time!”
The Arapahoe Varsity Toms team is a safe and stable environment for dancers where they can express themselves, feel supported and be pushed to become the best dancer they can be. Being a part of Toms is without a doubt a major commitment, but all the hard work clearly pays off, adding to the strong community Arapahoe High School has worked hard to build.
