Baylor Dance Team Takes 2nd at National Contest

The Baylor Song Leaders won first runner-up Saturday in the American Dance and Drill Team Nationals in Denton.

March 28, 2006
by REBECCA LILLEY
March 28, 2006
The Baylor Lariat


The Baylor Song Leaders placed first runner-up last weekend in the American Dance and Drill Team Nationals in Denton. The event was the dance team's first national competition in 10 years.

Deer Park senior Meaghan Wheeler is co-captain of the squad with Deer Park senior Jenna Ford.

"We put together a fantastic dance that represented Baylor well," Wheeler said. "We competed in front of 150 teams and international squads from Australia and Japan."

Ford said it was exciting to place as high as they did.

"I thought it was successful considering this was our first time to go in so many years," Ford said.

Wheeler said the Song Leaders returned from spring break early and put a lot of time into preparing for the competition.


"We came back on the last Saturday before spring break was over and practiced every day for at least three hours," she said.

Ford said all together, the team spent two months in preparation.

The team competed all day Saturday starting at 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m., finally winning first runner-up.

Jennifer Baker, a Baylor spirit graduate assistant, choreographed the dance. She served as captain of the Song Leaders in 2003-2004.

"It was good for other colleges and high schools to see that first of all, Baylor has a dance team, and second, that Baylor has talented dancers," Baker said.

"They performed in front of everyone at the awards ceremony. It was mostly teams from colleges and community colleges around Texas, but there were some high school teams from surrounding cities," she said.

Wheeler said the team hadn't competed in 10 years because it's been too busy attending athletic events.

"We haven't competed because in our constitution it says we are to be first and foremost a support for Baylor athletics," Wheeler said. "This was our first chance to go in 10 years."