Dance/Drill: Forest Grove, Sheldon, and Centennial (Metro) events.
- James Healey
- 11 hours ago
- 6 min read
Close calls and surprising outcomes, the final weekend of competition before the State Championships reveal nothing is certain.
The season’s biggest dance and drill weekend just wrapped up, featuring three separate events and the final chance for teams to qualify two routines for the State Championship. Competitions at Centennial, Forest Grove, and Sheldon brought out dozens of teams, all making a strong final push to showcase the best versions of their routines yet.
Noteworthy in the outcomes below, is that many teams are still competing with three routines. The OSAA State Championships only allow two routines with qualification parameters permitting. This means, in spite of all the strong scores and close calls mentioned below, teams will need to choose their two best routines and best chances for a championship trophy. The category gymnastics between the five categories and divisions of school classifications will all be revealed at the Salem Pavilion in less than two weeks.
A dozen teams shared routines in Jazz, Pom, Traditional, Hip Hop, and Show in Forest Grove, with the Show category making a big appearance for the day. Cleveland, Mountainside, Clackamas, Aloha, West Linn, Scappoose, Grant, Oregon City, Canby, Astoria, Grant Union, Sprague, and the host team Forest Grove took the floor with exiting performances.
The lightest categories at the Forest Grove event were Jazz (1A-5A) and Pom (1A-5A). Canby brought their polished Jazz routine and Scappoose shared their Traditional, each being the only teams in their respective line-ups and enjoying the free pass to a win.
Mountainside and Aloha represented Jazz (6A). A win for Mountainside in this category was celebrated with a 76.56. Mountainside also landed a win in the Pom (6A) category in a field of three teams, earning an 80.44 with this panel of judges.
Traditional (1A–5A) brought three teams to the floor. It was a close race between Astoria and Scappoose, but Astoria took home the Traditional win with a 77.61. A similar situation for these teams in the Hip Hop (1A–5A) category, where Astoria's score of 78.28 claimed them a second victory.
Hip Hop (6A) brought four teams to the stage and West Linn took the win, but not sitting too comfortably, as Forest Grove was right at their tail. 77.22 and 77.06 respectively was a close match-up, but certainly not the closest of the day. Read on.
Clackamas extended its long winning streak in the Traditional (6A) division. Their score of 86.11 not only secured the top spot at the Forest Grove competition but also stood as the highest score of the entire event. No doubt Clackamas is paying attention to the Metro Competition outcomes below, as the 6A Traditional category looks to be highly competitive.
Wrapping up the Forest Grove event, five show teams took the floor and gave viewers a preview of what this category might look like at the State Championships. Offering a large, wide-open space, the Forest Grove gym provided an excellent view for these Show teams to shine. Canby, Clackamas, Cleveland, Grant, and Sprague all revealed nearly final products for one final commentary from the judges. Clackamas took home first place with a score of 85.33, and Canby, continuing to nip at their heels in the second place spot, earned 84.17.
Moving south, the Sheldon "Dancing with the Colleens" competition brought together Marshfield, Milwaukie, Mountain View, Newberg, North Bend, North Eugene, Roosevelt, South Medford, West Albany, Willamette, and the Sheldon hosts.
Mostly divided into 1A-5A and 6A groupings, the categories represented at this event were Show, Jazz, Pom, Traditional, and Hip Hop.
Picking up where we left off above, the Show entries here included Newberg and North Eugene. Another close call between first and second here. With less than half a point dividing first and second, Newberg took home this win. The State Championship Show Category is shaping up to include six or seven teams—a smaller field than in past years, but still a competitive one.
Mountain View’s hip hop at this event took the free pass to a win with the only 1A-5A entry, scoring a 73.72. The 6A grouping, however, was one of the largest fields at the Sheldon competition, with five teams. South Medford's 81.78 indicated a strong performance and a solid first place win.
Pom (1A-5A) was another field of five
teams at this event. West Albany landed a score of 82.56 and a comfortable lead within the line-up. West Albany continued their success for the day in the Traditional (1A-5A) category, earning 82.78 in a field of four teams.
Jazz (6A) was a fairly close race between Willamette and Newberg in another field of four teams. Scores were 74.83 and 73.50 respectively. The Jazz (1A-5A) concluded with Milwaukie in the lead over North Bend.
Metro competition, hosted by the Centennial team, was a big event for Jazz, Traditional, Hip Hop, and Pom. Each of these categories were robust and competitive, with separate groupings for 1A-5A and 6A in each division.
Barlow, Bend, Benson, Gladstone, Glencoe, Gresham, Jesuit, Lake Oswego, Lakeridge, Lebanon, Nelson, Parkrose, Reynolds, Sherwood, Silverton, South Albany, Sunset, Tualatin, Wilsonville, and the Centennial hosts brought talent and power to the floor with some fierce competition.
Round one kicked off with Pom, featuring five teams in the 1A–5A division and five in the 6A group. Lebanon continued their hot streak with a standout routine, earning a 77.00 and pulling ahead with a solid lead.
In the 6A division, the competition was fierce and every point mattered. Newcomers Jesuit made a splash, claiming first place over Lake Oswego in a gasp-inducing finish. With scores of 87.44 and 87.39 respectively, no doubt those teams will fight for a more decisive and comfortable gap on that final state championship stage.
In the Jazz category, 1A-5A had five teams take the floor, and 6A brought together six teams. Silverton gained another win with their offering, scoring 82.61 and a comfortable lead. Lake Oswego took the win over Tualatin in the 6A Jazz group, with impressive scores and another close outcome. Notable high scores of 88.78 and 87.28, respectively.
For Traditional, four teams faced off in the 1A-5A group, with Silverton landing their second win of the day and a score of 85.17 providing an impressive lead.
Six teams brought out the beauty for the Traditional (6A) group, and Sherwood inched out the win over Tualatin with another close scoring round ending with 89.44 over 88.56. Lakeridge landing third place and a remarkable score of 87.44 makes for three high scoring routines in this category.
Even among the standout scores in other categories at Metro, Hip Hop (6A) stole the spotlight with both higher numbers and tight competition. Lake Oswego edged out Sherwood in a nail-biting finish, 91.44 to 91.33, posting the highest scores of the weekend. Lakeridge claimed third place with an impressive 88.11, rounding out a fiercely competitive top three.
The smallest grouping of the day at this event was Hip Hop (1A-5A) with three teams. Staying true to form, what is the Metro competition this season without yet another close call, as Parkrose and South Albany scored 76.22 and 75.67 respectively.
The biggest takeaway from the three events on March 7 is that while many categories crowned a winner for the weekend, most remain a near toss-up—truly anyone’s game. As teams head to the State Championships, the judges face a daunting task: scores are so close that the smallest details could determine the winners. Balancing subjective artistry with objective execution—or perhaps objective artistry with subjective execution—this activity blends art and athleticism in a way that thrives on cheering crowds and spirited rivalries. In the end, a six-judge State Championship panel will decide which team earns the title of “State Champion,” no doubt sparking fervent discussions about the remarkable routines and the outcomes they unfold. The OSAA Dance/Drill State Championships is on March 20 and 21 at the Salem Pavilion.
Forest Grove Dance Competition - First Place Finshes
Traditional (6A): Clackamas (86.11)
Show (6A): Clackamas (85.33)
Jazz (1A-5A): Canby (81.00)
Pom (6A): Mountainside (80.44)
Hip Hop (1A-5A): Astoria (78.28)
Traditional (1A-5A): Astoria (77.61)
Hip Hop (6A): West Linn (77.22)
Jazz (6A): Mountainside (76.56)
Pom (1A-5A): Scappoose (76.39)
Dancing with the Colleens (Sheldon Competition) - First Place Finishes
Traditional (1A-5A): West Albany (82.78)
Pom (1A-5A): West Albany (82.56)
Hip Hop (6A): South Medford (81.78)
Jazz (6A): Willamette (74.83)
Hip Hop (1A-5A): Mountain View (73.72)
Jazz (1A-5A): Milwaukie (73.33)
Show: Newberg (69.67)
Metro Competition - First Place Finishes
Hip Hop (6A): Lake Oswego (91.44)
Traditional (6A): Sherwood (89.44)
Jazz (6A): Lake Oswego (88.78)
Pom (6A): Jesuit (87.44)
Traditional (1A-5A): Silverton (85.17)
Jazz (1A-5A): Silverton (82.61)
Pom (1A-5A): Lebanon (77.00)
Hip Hop (1A-5A): Parkrose (76.2)
Stepping aside from the competitive nature of the Metro event, there was a moment to honor the coach behind not only the long-standing event, but undoubtedly a poignant example of coaching perseverance and a successful program. Over 75 Hi C alums performed an alumni dance marking Annie Ellett's 60th year as the Centennial Dance Team coach (and founder of the Hi C’s). Following the dance, current and former Hi Cs in the audience made a massive circle around their beloved coach, and did their team chant. A reminder of the true reason dance team is so essential to coaches, dancers, and spectators alike.
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