Ramapo offers a variety of different sports such as soccer, tennis, basketball, hockey, and, of course, football. However, there was a group of athletes who went unnoticed for a very long time; that is, our dancers. The competitive dance world is filled with stellar athletes who often are not acknowledged enough for their talent. It is a sport that mainly gets its name from the club side of things – not so much as a high school sport.
Current Ramapo juniors Ava Armando and Alexis Lynch, finally brought attention to this group of talented girls when they founded the first ever RIH Competitive Dance Team. Ava Armando described her experience putting the team together: “Alexis Lynch and I brought the idea of this team to Ramapo’s athletic director at the time, Mr. Mancino, and our vision came to life.” Ava continued to outline the team’s debut last year, which was incredibly successful: “We attended 5 total competitions last season, most placing in the top 4. Hearing them announce ‘Ramapo High School Varsity Jazz’ right before we walked onto the gym floor to compete made me feel so proud. I know we all felt it – the school spirit that everyone talks about. We competed and beat out established teams who have been preparing since August, while we learned and cleaned our routine in just 6 practices. We could not have done it without our amazing Coach Rachel, who has been a crucial part of this team. She has been willing to volunteer every Friday since we started, including competition weekends to coach and cheer us on … I am a captain this year, along with sophomore Dylan Epstein, and co-captains, junior Julietta Emmolo, and sophomore Mackenzie Giampietro.”
As Ava mentioned, Coach Rachel has been an integral part of the team’s success so far and continues to be an inspiring leader. Coach Rachel emphasizes her passion for the sport and for coaching these talented Ramapo athletes: “Nothing brings me more joy than coaching my girls. The RIH Dance Team is made up of so much talent and athleticism. Coaching has been intense because we’ve been in choreography and learning spacing. As the season goes on, I know coaching will continue to bring me so much happiness and purpose. My goals for the team this year is to be our personal best and beat our best. The goal of the season is to grow as a team and go into competition putting our best run out there. All that matters is that we show out each competition and create a name for ourselves in the Varsity division. I’m looking forward to creating a lot of new memories with this group. We went from 11 dancers to 21 this year and I’m excited to build our legacy. The talent really is next level; there’s nothing my girls can’t do!”
The RIH Dance Team has recently begun their season and is working diligently to prepare for their first competition on January 7th, 2024. Come support our dancers and all that they have accomplished so far! The team is excited to represent our school on the stage for their second season.
