Ben Murphy
Sports Scene
Nouvel Catholic Central could have a dynasty brewing in pompon. The Panthers claimed their second class C/D state title at the Breslin Center in East Lansing on Feb. 8.
“The reason why I believe this team was successful at state competition this year is because they persevere,” second-year head coach Madeline Gorney said.
The future of the Panthers could be promising, too, as the squad featured four seniors, one junior, and seven sophomores.
“Our team was very young this year,” Gorney said. “This team had to concentrate and work hard at mastering the basics this year. [Assistant coach] Ashly Ginderske and I did not expect them to go out there and win another state championship, we expected them to go out there and give us their personal best performance, and we expected them to have fun.”
It turns out, though, that was enough for Nouvel to win another state title.
“We told them the night before the competition that we wanted them to go out there and show the audience how much they loved this sport by having fun while performing,” Gorney said.
On this year’s championship team were seniors Liberty Solek, Julie Feinauer, Maria Buko, and Justine Schultz.
“Solek has done pom for all four years in high school, and she has excelled to achieve great things through the sport of pom,” Gorney said. “She has been a joy to watch perform and transform into a strong leader the last two years. Feinauer has a dedication for pom that goes deep within her heart. She is a natural leader, and the younger kids look up to her for guidance and advice, not just about pom but about life.
“Buko is the mother hen of our group,” Gorney added. “She is a caring and hardworking leader on this team. She has shown the girls how to be dedicated to pom and how to balance social life and school. Schultz has overcome numerous injuries this season and can crack a joke just at the right moment. Her heart of gold is what helps this team run as a well-oiled machine. She never gives up and is a natural leader.”
The lone junior on the team was Kaylee Pilz.
“I have never met a teenage girl more hard-working than Pilz,” Gorney said. “Her demand for perfection is infectious and sets a great example for the younger girls.”
Sophomores on the team were Sarah Ehlman, Brianna Bivins, Sadie Benjamin, Alexa Wright, Morgan Velez, Elizabeth McConnell, Savannah Teneyuque, and Brittany Jurgens.
“These sophomores are our babies,” Gorney said. “Ginderske and I started coaching most of them as freshmen, and we are so excited to see them grow into talented, strong young women as the time passes.”
The coach is clearly excited about what her sophomores have to offer.
“Ehlman is big talent wrapped in a little package; she may be the smallest member of the team, but her drive and goofy personality have allowed her to shine on the floor,” Gorney said. “Bivins is 100 percent pom 100 percent of the time; her love and dedication for this sport is what allowed us to incorporate some of the newer quirkier elements of our routine this year. Benjamin is our shorty who got stuck in the back of formation this year, behind the tallest girl on the team, but when she gets her time to shine in the front there’s no doubt that her performance will amaze you.
“Wright, the tallest girl on the team, has shown tremendous growth during her second year on the team; she takes constructive criticism home and uses it to make herself better,” Gorney added. “Velez is new to pom this year but has a very strong dance background; she joined us in camp this past summer and has shown so much progress since then. McConnell is another one of our newbies this year… her heart quickly got attached to pom, and I can tell that it’s not letting go any time soon. Teneyuque is the epitome of perseverance; she had no dance background when she joined our team this summer… she has worked hard continually throughout the season, and with the help of her teammates, has overcome her fear of performing in front of thousands of people. Jurgens has worked hard to fix all her bad pom habits. The smile on her face when she performs comes from how much she loves this sport.”
The coach hopes that with a strong group coming back next year, Nouvel pom can stay high amongst the state ranks.
“We [coaches] love this sport and genuinely care about these girls, not just how they perform during a pom competition, but we care if they are good people,” Gorney said. “These girls also genuinely care about working together as a team to accomplish a team goal… These girls want to leave a good impression for their school, their peers, their families, and the future pom girls of Nouvel.”