Community Corner
Oak Lawn Dance Team Continues Rise Toward Top
It all started way back in July when the Oak Lawn Dance Team attended the Universal Dance Association Camp for a week, and it culminated last weekend in a second-straight trip to the Illinois High School Association State Finals held at US Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, IL. When it was all over, the Spartans improved from last year’s finish and placed 27th.
The road to the State Finals was a long journey and included the week-long camp, various competitions (which began in November), a sixth-place finish at the South Suburban Conference Red meet, the team’s best-ever fifth-place finish at the IHSA Sectional, and this past weekend’s fine showing.
“The team earned the best placements in my 10 years of coaching,” Dance Head Coach Jessica Shekleton said. “The girls were ecstatic to learn that they did even better than last year. These girls are 27th in their division in the state of Illinois.
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“This team is a phenomenal group of girls. They are sweet, responsible, they work hard, do well in school, and they are dedicated to each other. They spend countless hours practicing, performing at home games, fundraising, and even putting together a charity clothing drive just because they wanted to do that. Coach Ryan Brandt and I both agree they make us laugh every day and have made us incredibly proud this year.”
The team members include Hannah Papaleo, Samantha Cholke, Becky Mackowiak, Andrea Pacetti, Anna Oswald, Patrycja Kucharska, Lupe Navarrete, Alice Bustamantez, Bailey Tobin, Emma McMeekin, Valerie Schlee, and Alyssa Bonk.
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“It hasn’t been easy,” Shekleton said. “There are times during the season that the team feels frustrated, overwhelmed, and struggles with technique or complex choreography that we give them, but they have definitely come out on top. They put Oak Lawn on the map in the competitive dance world, and this is a tremendous accomplishment for us.”
“I told the girls before they walked on to the performance floor at State, under the bright lights, before an arena of cheering dance fans, I absolutely love coaching this team and can’t even express how proud I am of them. They have earned every bit of this spotlight and recognition. This is what reward feels like after a lot of hard work. And in my eyes, it couldn’t come to a better team.”
