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Taylorsville Journal

Chattes had a great season, Kearns drill finished fifth in Region 2

Mar 09, 2023 11:15AM ● By Greg James

The drill team at Kearns placed fifth at the Region 2 finals. (Photo courtesy of Ammie Harlow) Mentions: UHSAA

The drill team at Kearns High School is called the Chattes, which means cat in French. Their cat-like routine this season was one of their favorites.

“It really was a great season,” drill head coach Charly Northrup said. “The last few years have been rough with many different coaches, so to settle down and have some direction was very good.”

Northrup was an assistant coach three years ago and accepted the position this season as the team's head coach. Season one under a new staff began solidifying the team and giving them direction.

“We performed better than they had over the last few years and placed well at Region. Even if they did not place, the whole experience was better than it had been,” Northrup said. “The discipline and culture changed. I think some had not understood what drill was before and what kind of work it takes.”

Drill in the UHSAA is a sanctioned sport. The high school-age dancers compete in three categories: dance, military and show. Each one demonstrates different skills and abilities. 

“We got serious and expected a lot more of the girls. Drill is a dance team that practices like athletes. We have to have certain turns and leaps. We have only one varsity team. We perform at halftime and assemblies. The girls come to practice at 5:30 in the morning for sometimes three hours. It takes a lot of dedication. I tell the girls that this is hard,” Northrup said.

Kearns had 16 girls on the team this season. It is a smaller team than some schools. They have had more athletes in years past. 

“The demographic of these kids are tough. We have girls that work late hours at jobs and still make it to early morning practices,” Northrup said.

The difficulty sheet for each category scores the number of jumps and turns. The team can score based on their completion of the skills.

“At region, we placed fourth (in dance). It was huge for us. We skyrocketed to that finish. I am sure everyone's favorite routine was the show routine. We were dressed as black cats. The judges commented that they loved the music and energy. That was definitely our best routine,” Northup said.

Kearns placed fifth overall at the Region 2 finals. Roy finished first, Cyprus second, Hunter third, Taylorsville fourth and Granger sixth. 

“The kids at the school talk about how the girls are always together,” Northrup said. “I love these girls. I think they were ready to have a team that is grateful to see the growth. The parents have been so supportive.”

The 2023 team included Alexis Larson, Alyvia Pedersen, Amelia Davidson, Avalon Sisk, Dahnaiye Metzger (captain), Emily England, Hannah ElAsmaay, Jaleah Hayden, Janett Soto, Kamdin Smith, Leah Campos, Linda Mejia Vasquez, Luisa Serna, Marina Gomez, Pilar Diaz Rodriguez, Rebbecca Harlow and Ruby Flores.

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