Lancer Dancers crowned San Diego’s favorite

At+the+home+game+against+Poway%2C+Lancer+Dancers+wow+audiences+with+their+half-time+jazz+routine.+The+team+works+to+produce+new+numbers+to+perform+at+each+game%2C+while+still+preparing+for+their+approaching+competitions+and+performances.

Jessica Streich

At the home game against Poway, Lancer Dancers wow audiences with their half-time jazz routine. The team works to produce new numbers to perform at each game, while still preparing for their approaching competitions and performances.

On a Friday night deep into the football season, the bleachers are packed with excitement and anticipation.  Then, half-time rolls around and there seems to be little reason for fans to stay in their seats. That is until the Lancer Dancers take the field, providing not only entertainment, but proving their talent. The varsity dance team at Carlsbad High is known around the community for their inspiring performances and skilled routines, but how do they measure up against the other teams in San Diego?

“We entered a video  in the best dance team category for the KUSI Prep Pigskin report contest,”  junior and member of the Lancer Dancers Becca Tang said. “They picked the top four, and from there, you have to vote and whoever has the most votes wins.”

It’s an annual tradition; the KUSI News station holds a contest to honor the best high school football players in the county. But this year, the station has extended the competition to band and dance teams, and the Lancer Dancers jumped on the chance. After three weeks of voting madness, Lancer Dancers obtained over 800 votes, which crowned them as the champions of the competition.

“We are really exciting about winning because throughout the entire competition we were neck and neck with one of the other schools,” sophomore Lancer Dancer Nicole Mendrala said. “We had to work really hard but ended up beating them by over 100 votes.”

Besides having the satisfaction of being able to call themselves the favorite dance team in San Diego, winning the contest comes with a few added opportunities.

“Since we won the contest, we get to go and film our dance with the KUSI news station,” Mendrala said. “We will go to the Silver Gala, an event which is hosted by KUSI, and they will show the video.”

The girls will also reap other benefits aside from these direct ones.  The triumph of winning does not only affect Lancer Dancers now; with Nationals only a few months away, a win like this boosts their confidence and raises their morale, getting them excited for the most significant event of the year.

“This definitely motivates us for Nationals because it made us work really hard,” Mendrala said. “It gets us pumped to go all the way across the nation and represent the best team in San Diego.”