The competition season has started off strong for the Emerald Dazzlers at the Crowd Pleasers competition at Burleson Centennial High School on Feb. 1. The team took home the grand champion award along with many trophies.

Getting grand champ means many different things to the whole team, but overall, they are happy to get it.

“It was really amazing because we put so much hard work into Dazzlers,” junior Taylor Setliff said. “We’ve been working for months and it was just amazing, especially for the rookies to get out there and feel what a great win feels like.”

The Dazzlers have been practicing hard in the run-up to the competition. They put in their all by practicing almost every day and did some creative things to get the performance as best as it could be.

“We try to encourage motivation by performing the routines in small groups and having contests to practice maintaining energy, projection, and smiles between different groups,” Dazzler coach Erin Boyer said. “Those practices are a bit more relaxed and fun, and yet we still get a lot done.”

This is Boyer’s first year here as the Dazzler coach, but she has made a good impression on the team.

“The new coach is amazing and we’ve really progressed to be stronger as a team and sharper in our dances,” senior Anyah Torregrossa said. “Our practices are about the same but more structured and comfortable.”

With a few more competitions, like the next on Saturday, ahead of them, the Dazzlers are working harder to make everything perfect.

“Our next competition is going to be even harder than Crowd Pleasers was,” Setliff said. “We’re going to have to put in more hours and just work as hard as we can and take the critiques the judges give us and just give it 150%.”

Competition season is already laid out for the team with two more competitions to focus on, then tryouts and spring show.

“Whether they take home 1st place trophies or no trophies, the Dazzlers have worked hard and put their best foot forward,” Boyer said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls and I’m honored to be their director.”