'Sometimes people do not see it as a sport:' New Berlin Eisenhower dance wins dual state titles for fourth straight year

While some may not see competitive dance as a sport, the New Berlin Eisenhower dance team, also known as "Ike Dance," is proving it's just as much of a sport as any other.

The dance team of 11 girls proved its competitiveness this season, winning state championships in both Division 2 Jazz and Division 4 Pom Feb. 4 at La Crosse, the fourth year in a row the team has captured the dual titles.

With this prestigious honor, the team, coaches and supporters all hope to bring more awareness to the sport.

"It is unheard of," said Katelyn Halstead, one of the team's coaches. "Winning state is the dream. We always hope to put together the routines. We saw deep commitment (in the dancers)."

Halstead, of Franklin, and Liz Wiskirchen of Mequon have been coaching the team for the past 10 years but are now stepping away from the program.

Sanctioned by the Wisconsin Association of Cheer/Pom Coaches, the New Berlin Eisenhower dance team is a varsity sport at the school. The season runs from June until the state championships in February.

In addition to attending a summer camp with training and competition, the team practices three times a week for about three hours each time. The captains and coaches also spend off-practice time looking at dance moves or techniques on TikTok or YouTube to see how to incorporate creative dance routines. They perform routines at sporting events and conduct school spirit activities.

"It is a sport but sometimes people do not see it as a sport," said Anna Vassallo, one of the junior captains along with Marin Anderson.

Vassallo said she finds that more people are aware of "how hard it is" and "how important the sport is."

"It is becoming more popular," she said.

'To take on stress and to embrace it'

Camryn Rajala, senior dance captain, acknowledged that she started dancing later than others in the sport. She said others may start as a very young child and take lessons early. For Rajala, she started dance when she was in sixth grade.

But when she saw her friends do dance and saw how passionate they were about the sport, she wanted to be a part of it.

Before she danced competitively, she played basketball and soccer. "They were fun, but there was not that connection," Rajala said.

"I think on my team (of competitive dance), we developed such a strong work ethic," said Rajala. "It is a lot harder than you may think."

She said as one of the captains, she works with some of her teammates and coaches to develop the most creative routine. One move the dancers saw on TikTok is jumping up with the arms wide apart, touching the toes to the fingers and "landing in a straddle." She stated it was a challenge to learn, but the team worked hard until everyone mastered the move.

Being a team captain, Rajala said she learned more about managing a team atmosphere and how to be a good leader. Those are skills, she said, she can use for any job in the future.

"Leadership comes with a lot of responsibility," Rajala said, noting that she needed to go through an interview process to become captain. "I was always the type to take on stress and to embrace it."

She said she was a bit surprised the team won state, but she said with hard work and with the team being driven, she is not totally surprised. "We have talented people," she said. "We believe in ourselves. We know how hard we worked."

'Taught us a lot of life lessons'

This season was a bit bittersweet for Vassallo, Rajala and the team. Their coaches, Halstead and Wiskirchen, will be leaving the program to spend more time with their families.

When they started 10 years ago, Wiskirchen said they invested their time and energy with the program. It paid off as they qualified for state for the first time in 2013.

"We worked hard to get a fun performance and a group of girls to be really focused and to see what they can accomplish," Wiskirchen said about their coaching approach. She said she noticed a shift in how girls are now working even harder "to accomplish bigger goals."

This year during competition, she said, the performances of all the dancers were the best she has ever seen.

Wiskirchen also said the school has been more and more supportive of the dance program, saying the dancers do not struggle in getting gym space or with similar issues.

But most importantly, she said that dance provides "life skills" to the competitors. Each dancer may gain different skills.

"You get so much cool community involvement. It is a unique high school experience," she said. She said she loves coaching because dance provides the students with life skills.

"Dancing combines the athletic to the artistic side of the brain," Wiskirchen said.

For Vassallo, the skills she gained is a way "to express my emotions. It has always been a constant. If everything is bad in school, a friendship, I can put all my worries aside and put in in dance," she said.

"I love my coaches. They taught us so many life lessons. They taught us how to grow up and to be independent, taught us to always be prepared," said Vassallo.

Halstead has fond memories of her experience in her 10-year tenure as a coach. "A part of my life is taken away from me. This program has changed the lives of a lot of young women," she said.

"I love this team."

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Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kozlowicz_cathy.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Two state titles, four years in a row for New Berlin Eisenhower dance