So far this year, the Niles West Poms team is nearing their halfway point. However, their competition season is just about to begin.  While many students see them performing at pep assemblies and sports games, the Poms team is also competitive, and they participate in multiple competitions each year.

Senior Audrey Choi was named the captain of the team for the second year in a row. She is very dedicated to her team, and she has high hopes that they will do better this season than ever before.

“Poms provides opportunities for my team to get even better at our technique and overall skills. We will be competing in three competitions, making this season more nerve-wracking than ever,” Choi said. “However, our team is extremely excited to tackle this challenge. We’re looking to improve in numbers and in our own selves.”

Senior Elizabeth Chin has been a member of Poms for her entire high school career, and she is proud of how much the team has improved throughout the years. Winning at competition is one of her goals this year, but she hopes she and her teammates can challenge themselves and improve as a whole.

“We just recently started competition and the basketball season, so right now we’re very focused on perfecting our competition routines. Our first competition is coming up and everyone is very focused on scoring higher than last season and hopefully qualifying for state. We’re also very excited for basketball season and right now the captains are working hard to choreograph routines for the basketball games and pep assemblies,” Chin said. “I’ve been on the team for four years, so I’ve seen the team grow, and I hope that this year we can make ourselves and the school proud. Everyone is focused on improving their own skills as well as the team as a whole. As long as we keep pushing, I think we can achieve our goals.”

Sophomore Salma Abu Taleb sees how hard the older girls work, and she views them as some of her role models. Abu Taleb hopes she will perform at their caliber in the coming years.

“The older girls inspire me because they are so diverse with their dancing. Their technique is amazing, and it makes me want to practice,” Abu Taleb said. “The older girls inspire me to do better and push myself and grow as a dancer.”

Make sure to come see the Poms team compete in their upcoming season.