Four-hour long practices, consistent cardio, minimal breaks, vomiting, and coming close to passing out. What does this sound like to you? A varsity football practice? Yeah, but no; this is J.V. Poms.

“Give them no reason to second guess you guys, show them that you will win,” said Cassie Greenly, coach of Broomfield Junior Varsity Poms.

After months of hard work, Broomfield Junior Varsity Poms won the state spirit championship on January 21st. They competed in Hip-Hop against other JV teams across the front range.

Addison Matlosz (‘25), a member of the JV team explained how hard it was on the team when three of the initial members quit: “It was hard, I will say that. I was close to those girls [who left the team] and losing them was like losing a part of the family, which is never fun. But, I think it helped our team get closer because we all went through that loss together, and now we all make sure we are okay and take care of each other.”

Their biggest rivals were Horizon and Eaglecrest. “We can’t let Eaglecrest beat us again,” said Allison Christiansen (‘26) prior to the state championship competition. Toward the end of practice, the girls started to run out of energy. “Oh, if you’re tired, Horizon is going to out-dance you. Oh, if you’re tired, Eaglecrest is working harder than you right now,” Greenly reminded her team.

However, in the world of sports, dancers tend to be underestimated. Their athleticism is often overlooked. But behind the scenes, these dancers put in their blood, sweat, and tears for something that other athletes don’t even consider a sport.

For example, Paddy Waller, a member of Broomfield High School’s freshman basketball team, said, “It’s not important, I can be in my living room dancing, that is not a sport.”

If dance isn’t a sport, then what makes an athlete an athlete? According to The American Heart Association, “The present discussion focuses on the competitive athlete, defined as one who participates in an organized team or individual sport that requires systematic training and regular competition against others and places a high premium on athletic excellence and achievement.”

To non-dancers, hip-hop is just another style of dance. What most don’t understand is that there are sub-genres of the style; athletes must learn all the aesthetics to fit the character they are trying to portray. “We want to see you as judges do,” said Tabitha Bartel, the Varsity Coach of Broomfield Poms, “a lot of different styles so that you can execute them equally. Embody the root of the style.”

Ending the competition season off with a victory, Broomfield Junior Varsity proved that the power of JV is not to be underestimated. Their athleticism and ambition all paid off in the end.