Canby and Reynolds share a candid moment full of friendship and accomplishments,

Parkrose played host to an exciting day of dance/drill competition Saturday

With the state championships just four weeks away, the routines are coming together and teams are bringing all their hard work to the floor. Since 2023, dance teams are allowed to bring two routines to the state championships, however a second routine is only allowed if it reaches a score of 70 or higher.

Other qualifying factors for both routines include time parameters (varies for each category) and number of dancers (five dancers minimum). Many teams are still hoping to qualify a second routine, and some teams are competing more than two routines so they can choose the best options when the time comes. 

Dance team has a long season, but the season isn’t over until each dance has its few final moments at the Salem Pavilion in less than a month. Parkrose was the only competition last weekend, so many teams came together in one location for the first time this year.

In attendance at Parkrose were Aloha, Banks, Canby, Centennial, Clackamas, Cleveland, Gladstone, Grant, Gresham, Lakeridge, Lebanon, Nelson, Newberg, Reynolds, Putnam, Roosevelt, Sam Barlow, Sandy, Scappoose, Southridge, Sprague, Sunset, Valley Catholic, and the generous host team, Parkrose. Two dozen teams at one event makes this the largest competition of 2024 so far. 

Categories at this event included Hip Hop, Jazz, Pom, Traditional, and Show. Each category was divided into groups based on school classification and number of entries. Traditional (6A) and Show had the most entries with six each, but most of the divisions had a competitive line up of entries. 

Nelson and Lebanon had a great day, as they both entered routines in two categories and won first place in each. Lebanon finished with a first place in Jazz (1A/2/A/3A/4A/5A) and Pom (5A). Nelson finished on top of their groupings with first places in Jazz (6A) and Pom (6A). 

The Show category (1A/2A/3A/4A/5A/6A) had six entries, the most this category seen at one competition this season. Canby finished with first place in the Show category, earning 82.22, the second highest score of the competition. The highest score of the competition was 85.17, received by Clackamas with an outstanding Traditional (6A) routine against another line up of six teams.

As the performances get more refined and complete, the scores keep going up. Canby, Clackamas, Lebanon, Lakeridge, and Valley Catholic all surpassed an 80 with one or both of their routines last weekend. All routines just keep getting better with each performance. In the next few weeks, endings will be staged, sequences will be refined, and precision will be cleaned up. Evolution of these dances is always a fun and unpredictable process, and very soon, full pieces will finally paint complete pictures on the floor.

The top two placing teams from the Parkrose Competition are listed below. If school classification is not indicated, all were combined. 

Parkrose Competition

• Hip Hop (5A/6A): Lakeridge (77.56), Parkrose (76.17)
• Hip Hop (1A/2A/3A/4A): Scappoose (78.39), Banks (68.61)
• Jazz (6A): Nelson (75.50), Sprague (73.94)
• Jazz (1A/2A/3A/4A/5A): Lebanon (81.22), Valley Catholic (79.22)
• Pom (6A): Nelson (74.61), Reynolds (70.39)
• Pom (5A): Lebanon (78.28), Parkrose (75.56)
• Traditional (6A): Clackamas (85.17), Lakeridge (80.28)
• Traditional (1A/2A/3A/4A/5A): Valley Catholic (82.06), Canby (77.17)
• Show: Canby (82.22), Clackamas (81.94)
• Novice Drill Down (Top 10):  Addilyn McKeen, AdoraBelle Ward, Elie Gunderson, Gena Caulder, Liberty Tzeo, Mackenzie Maggi, Maha Chamarthi, Nea Paavilainen, Ruby Garsha, and Sierra Williams
• Advanced Drill Down (Top 10): Alaina Schlegel, Gaby Fields, Kylie Crawford, Naomi Hamlin, Olive Bancroft Lucas, Olivia Carlson, Roanne Monzon, Ruby Nunley, Sophia Potts, and Talia Atkinson.



There are only two weekends of competitions left before the state championships. On Feb. 24, Pendleton and Sprague host teams, most likely featuring most of the teams that didn’t compete at Parkrose. In just a few weeks we will see how it all shakes down. The race to state is on!