On Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, Brighton High School’s junior varsity pom team took the field during halftime at the junior varsity football game against Plymouth High School to perform a routine they had been preparing for quite some time.
While halftime serves as a brief intermission for the crowd, for the dancers, it is an important moment in their performance and a chance to show the progress they have made as they prepare for the upcoming competition season.
Sophomore Maddie Haarala, a member of the JV pom team, said the team’s preparation and effort paid off under the stadium lights.
“I felt like it went pretty good,” Haarala said. “We worked on it for a while, and I felt like it looked the best it could.”
Another Brighton pom member, sophomore Tara Wilhelm, also reflected on the work that led to the performance.
“We’ve been working really hard on this, especially getting all the counts together,” Wilhelm said. “I feel like it went really well.”
For the team, halftime isn’t just entertainment for the crowd but an opportunity to learn what still needs improvement. The halftime performance allowed them to perform their routine in front of a live audience and recognize where they need to improve before competition season begins.
“We’re all learning what we need to work on and the counts that we need to know,” Haarala said. “It’s helped us all come together to dance as a team in the same movements.”
Wilhelm added that the new members are adjusting very well.
“It’s definitely pushed us to be better than we were when the season started,” Wilhelm said. “Some of us have never done pom before, so starting on the same level together is really exciting.”
The performance also reminded the dancers why they chose to join pom in the first place. Wilhelm shared that her interest in pom was inspired by her sister, a former member of the team.
“Watching all the other girls out there having fun and looking good and hearing my sister always say good things about it made me really excited to be part of it,” Wilhelm said.
“It’s a positive group of girls, and I like that it’s involved with the school and all the school spirit,” Haarala added.
Looking forward to the competition season, the team continues to learn from their halftime performance to refine their routines and come together to dance as a team.
