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Sparkles continue to shine

Team wins at Thurston in final tuneup before state championships

The Crook County High School Sparkles dance team pose with the first-place trophy that they won at the Thurston Invitational last Saturday. The Sparkles won the Class 4A small division at the invitational and had the second highest score of the competition.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RICH BLANK

The Crook County High School Sparkles dance team pose with the first-place trophy that they won at the Thurston Invitational last Saturday. The Sparkles won the Class 4A small division at the invitational and had the second highest score of the competition.

Lon Austin

March 07, 2013

The Sparkles dance team is ready for the state championships.

The Crook County High School dance and drill squad completed their regular season on Saturday with a win at the Thurston Invitational.

“We are very excited to listen to our judges comments and make a few changes before state,” head coach Amanda Estes said. “I am hoping that we will boost the scores just a bit and set a new team record.”

Dancing in the Class 4A small division, the Sparkles posted their highest score of the season. Their score of 86.33 easily bested Cottage Grove who came in second with a score of 69.06.

The defending Class 4A large team state champion Stayton Eagles were the only team in the competition to post a score higher than the Sparkles with an impressive score of 87.56.

Both Crook County and Stayton posted their highest scores of the year at the competition.

Other division winners Saturday were Valley Catholic, which won the 1A/2A/3A division with a score of 81.61, Marshfield (5A/6A small) 74.39, and Lebanon (5A intermediate) with a score of 77.72.

Estes expects big things from the Sparkles at the OSAA?Dance and Drill Championships.

“Our highest score at state was an 85 in 2011,” she said. “So I’m really optimistic for a new personal best. Either way, I think the girls are going to do great. We have received a lot of positive feedback this season.”

The state championships, which will be held at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in Portland, are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, March 13.

Wednesday’s preliminary rounds include Class 1A/2A/3A, Class 5A small, and Class 5A intermediate. All other preliminaries will be held on Friday, March 15 with the finals for all classifications held on Saturday, March 16.