Three Area High School Pom Teams Headed to State Meet

pom pon team coach Stacy Sheaffer and her squad have been preparing all year for today.

And they aren’t alone. Harrison, and ’s pom pon teams qualified for the state competition going on this Saturday in Ypsilanti at Eastern Michigan University.

“We basically go all year round,” Sheaffer said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize how much time we actually practice.”

The teams compete in different classes, based on the size of the school. Farmington, Harrison and North Farmington are all in Class A.

Schools qualify at the regional competition to be in either Class A (sometimes called Class A Division 1) or Class A Division 2. To qualify for Class A, teams need to get 80% of the total points possible. Earning from 74.5% to 79% qualifies a team for Class A Division 2.

Farmington qualified for Class A this year, while North Farmington and Harrison both qualified for Class A Division 2.

Farmington coach Courtney Green said that Class A is made up of more than just the biggest schools in the competiton. These are also the best schools, what she called “powerhouse teams." She said that her team can handle the pressure.

“Their goal is to always be in Class A [Division 1],” Green said. Even some of the [Class A Division 1] teams…are better than the college teams.”

Last year, North Farmington took third place and Harrison took seventh place in Class A Division 2. Farmington came in 10th in Class A.

All three teams have set goals for this year, and coach Kelly Duca said her North Farmington team sets goals throughout the entire year.

“We are always looking for team unity and being motivated,” Duca said. “As we come closer to states and competition time we have compared and looked over what is really important to us.”

Each team focuses on specific things about their routines that they would like to improve in the hopes of winning their divisions this year.

“They are trying to be more focused,” Sheaffer said. “[They are] definitely trying to improve their stamina and stiffness and their showmanship.”

Green said that as a coach, she just looks for improvement from year to year.

“Their goal is top five,” Green said. “They are completely capable of getting there it’s just pushing themselves and the coaches we are pushing them.”

This year’s state competition will be held on Feb. 13 at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. For more information visit the Mid American Pompon website.