The Varsity dance team practices their football halftime routine “Work” for Senior Night on Fri. Sept. 6, under the supervision of new head coach Amy Shouse.
The Antioch Community High School varsity dance team, as well as the recently reinstated junior varsity team, will perform and compete in the 2013-2014 season with leadership from three “new” individuals.
The previous varsity coach, ACHS English teacher Kelly Taylor, passed the varsity torch to ACHS dance team alumna Amy Shouse. Shouse was captain of the varsity team in 2004.
With the return of the JV dance team, two new coaches were hired. ACHS and dance team alumni Kelsey Tylkowski and Amanda Vickers will share the coaching duties. Tylkowski was captain of the varsity team in 2010 and Vickers captained the 2003 team.
Although familiar with the team’s style and traditions, the coaches will have new obstacles to face in their first year. Vickers and Shouse competed through the Illinois Dance Team Association (IDTA), while Tylkowski is familiar with Team Dance Illinois (TDI). As of last year, the dance team has a new set of rules and criteria through the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Since the coaches were last involved in dance team, categories by style have been removed and scores have become useless in comparison to placings.
After working with the team since June, the coaches have already produced positive results. Both the JV and varsity teams took first in their divisions at camp with their home routines.
