Whitney dance team virtually crowned national champions

While many spring sports had championship seasons completely cut off due to the current public health crisis, there was one team from Placer County that was still able to cap its season with a title on the biggest stage of its arena. After being convinced that their season was over, the Whitney High dance team was crowned champion of the Virtual Dance Nationals on Sunday. The championship competition was originally set for March, but after COVID-19 concerns canceled springtime sports, officials had to come up with a Plan B. The solution was to have a live streamed virtual competition in which more than 70 high school teams across the nation competed with video submissions from previous competitions. "It was super great to be able to experience one last memory," said Whitney senior and co-captain Katie Scaglione. "To have one last competition when we thought we were done for the year was such a great experience." Whitney submitted a previous routine from a February competition at Bella Vista High. The two-minute performance stood above the rest during a week-long live stream of video submissions for the national title from April 27 to May 3. (Video courtesy of Halley Crandell) "We've had a lot of success at competitions, but this is the moment you wait for, what you strive for every year," said Whitney coach Halley Crandell. "This is the biggest moment of the year." The Whitney team all watched together via Zoom. When the announcement of the medium size Pom Division champion was made, everyone's screens erupted. "You could hear everyone screaming for joy," Scaglione said. "It was the perfect closure to a season that was taken away, and I'm glad we got to have it end the right away – and an amazing way at that." Members of Whitney's championship team included Scaglione, Camma Musser, Tabitha Bland, Maddie Loureiro, Capri Recce, Savannah Sorensen, Gabby Dorado Chandler, Abby Gardner, Brooke Weltmer, Maddie Marquis, Kendall Warner, Chloe Darbo, and coaches Crandell and Ashley Roppolo.