Parkrose Elite Dance Team hosted their annual Mount Hood and Friends Competition on Saturday.
As the only event for dance/drill over the weekend, this event was packed with teams, performances and an enthusiastic crowd.
Twenty teams took the floor with dozens of routines. Barlow, Canby, Centennial, Clackamas, Cleveland, Forest Grove, Gladstone, Grant Union, Lakeridge, Lebanon, Mountainside, Newberg, Putnam, Reynolds, Scappoose, South Albany, Sprague, Sunset, and Tigard joined Parkrose with Traditional, Jazz, Hip Hop, Pom, and/or Show routines.
As we reach the midpoint of the winter competition season, the sense of both pressure and progress is unmistakable. Each week brings the performances closer to their final form. New routines are nearing completion, established pieces are growing more refined, and the state championships are clearly on the horizon. There is still time, of course—but ask any coach or choreographer, and they’ll likely tell you the season is moving just a little faster than they’re ready for.
If the Tigard Competition on Feb. 14 was remarkable for 10+ point spreads between first and second place, the Parkrose Competition was remarkable for its razor thin gaps in final outcomes. It was a somewhat lower scoring event overall this week, but many teams were likely to leave the event with light in their eyes for opportunity to slide upward, or with noteworthy uneasiness about the extremely close results threatening their placement.
Round one brought Jazz, Traditional, and Pom (1A-5A) to front and center, with most divisions separating 6A from 1A-5A.
The 6A Traditional line-up was one of the most competitive categories for this round with nine teams taking the floor. Clackamas continued their strong run in this category, with a first place finish and a score of 82.33. Clackamas is no doubt paying attention to Tigard this week, as the Tigerettes landed second place with an 82.22.
For the 1A-5A group in the Traditional category, five teams shared their work and Putnam had the winning routine. Similarly in this category, not far behind was South Albany trailing by less than a point. .
Pom was another tough category for the 1A-5A group, with six teams. The round revealed Lebanon as the winner, with a comfortable lead for the day. Perhaps we glance at the Parkrose and Putnam gap, however, revealing less than a point between second and third. The three placements, landing scores of 80.17. 74.06, and 73.78 in succession.
The Jazz category had ten entries split evenly between a 6A group and a 5A group. It is a welcomed sight when a full category group can have one classification, allowing for a line-up that may mimic the State Championship line-up, assuming the groupings are not combined. As we often see 6A with their own category groupings, it is rare that 5A is separated from 1A-4A, and even more rare for 1A-4A (already combined as a running standard) to see their own grouping.
In 5A Jazz, the competition was exceptionally tight, with Lebanon, Parkrose, and Canby claiming the top three spots. Parkrose and Canby were separated by just .16 points—virtually a coin flip for second and third—while Lebanon held a stable lead in first. The final scores were 75.94, 74.33, and 74.17, respectively.
The 6A Jazz winners were the Tigerettes from Tigard with a comfortable 80.94. An exciting collection of routines in the Jazz categories, with a handful of strong Jazz routines not yet facing off in direct competition.
Round two showcased the Pom (6A), Hip Hop, and Show categories.
The 6A Pom group was the smallest collection of teams for the day, with three teams competing. Mountainside’s pom routine took home the win, scoring 81.89. Forest Grove trailed by a bit, but still a formidable challenger in the category with 79.17. Shout out to Reynolds, delivering a performance that achieved that pivotal goal of reaching 70 or higher and qualifying a second routine to the State Championships. Reynolds received 70.17 in Pom (6A).
The Hip Hop categories had five teams in the 6A grouping, and four teams in the 1A-5A grouping. Parkrose was successful taking home a first place trophy in the 1A-5A group, with a comfortable lead. It seems likely that this category will also be combined 1A-5A at the State Championships, as it has been a combined group for most of the season. We won't really know until we know, however, and the final category groups are not released until a week before the state championships.
For the 6A Hip Hop group, Mountainside took home another first place win for the day. A strong showing for Mountainside, with their double win, but let us take note of Lakeridge and Forest Grove, both trailing by less than half a point. The three scores were 75.00, 74.89, and 74.78 respectively. If a coin had three sides, this also seems to be a three-dimensional coin flip of a category at this event.
Last but certainly not least, the Show category was well represented, with five teams unfurling their floors and taking the stage. They weren’t just setting the scene for their routines, but establishing the competitive theatrics that may define the rest of the season.
Cleveland and Newberg unveiled their Show routines for the first time, while Clackamas, Canby, and Sprague demonstrated clear progress with performances moving closer to a complete and fully realized final product. The Cavalettes appear to be gaining momentum with their show, For Dorian, presenting a full routine for the first time and earning the top spot. This was Clackamas' second win of the day. Similarly to the Cavalettes' Traditional win, their Show Category competitors were right at their tail. Canby’s Choose Light and Sprague’s Note to Self, two unfinished pieces, secured second and third place.
For the Show teams with less than a point separating first and second—and roughly a point between second and third—the rankings have room to slide up and down. Many categories on Saturday shared scoring dynamics similar to the Show category, with several close results. As the path to State comes into light, each team still has important boxes to check in the weeks ahead for the routines in their chosen categories.
A drill down competition took place between rounds at Parkrose, with a novice and advanced top ten in each group. For the novice group, Olive Keeley (Cleveland), Katie Lin (Scappoose), Jenny Lomchanthala (Reynolds), Kennedy Payton (Clackamas), Isabelle Schmeer (Cleveland), Eden Stevens (Parkrose), Cory Tonkin (Cleveland), Elly Tran (Reynolds), Lela Whitehead (Cleveland), and Miranda Yao (Cleveland) were the finalists. The advanced group finalists were Saoirse Finn (Cleveland), Gabriella Fields (Cleveland), Riley Gavenor (Cleveland), Naomi Hamlin (Sprague), Phoebe Howarth (Cleveland), Cherrnoh Kargbo (Reynolds), Alaire Marquis (Scappoose), Ruby Nunley (Parkrose), Elise Quinlin (Canby), and Elise Walters (Cleveland). Ten of these athletes were dancers from Cleveland, a strong showing for the Tenacity Dancers!
Mount Hood and Friends Competition - First Place Finishes
- Traditional (6A): Clackamas (82.33)
- Pom (6A): Mountainside (81.89)
- Show: Clackamas (81.22)
- Jazz (6A): Tigard (80.94)
- Pom (1A-5A): Lebanon (80.17)
- Hip Hop (5A): Parkrose (76.83)
- Jazz (5A): Lebanon (75.94)
- Hip Hop (6A): Mountainside (75.00)
- Traditional (1A-5A): Putnam (74.11)
- all results
This weekend, Pendleton and Sprague host a couple dozen more teams for another weekend of competition. The following weekend, March 7, is the final competition weekend of the season before the state championships. Forest Grove, Centennial (Metro), and Sheldon will host teams for that final chance to receive feedback from judges and qualify the routines they hope to bring to the state championship floor at the Salem Pavilion on March 20 and 21.
healeyjamesr@gmail.com
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