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St. Charles East flags dominate at state drill team finals

Posted March 15, 2009 11:00 pm

The color guard from St. Charles East High School has a history of doing well at the Illinois Drill Team Association state finals, but this year they scored a hat trick.

The team took first place in all three of their flag routines, including their tall, lyrical and short flag programs at the state championships Saturday at the University of Illinois Assembly Hall in Champaign.

The finals drew 70 teams from around the state who qualified at their super sectionals, which equates to more than 800 pom and dance team members.

The St. Charles East Saints were the only school from Chicago's north and west suburbs to win a state title at the event, where most of the teams from southern Illinois dominated.

St. Charles East coach Johnni Zabka says her team always tries to strive for excellence and insert exciting elements into their programs.

"We work really hard to develop routines that 'wow' the audience," Zabka says, "with lots of (flag) tosses, exchanges and risky elements."

Lake Zurich High School finished second to the Saints in the tall flag division, after working with St. Charles East team members earlier this season to infuse their routine with more energy and excitement.

"We had been performing with the band for the last five years at football games and parades," says coach Libby Reiman, "but this year we had a group of girls that wanted to take it up a level. This was our first time going to state."

Among poms teams, Waubonsie Valley High School placed fifth in AAA Pom Dance and sixth in AAA Dance, while Rolling Meadows High School placed sixth in Pom Dance.

"The girls really push each other to better themselves academically and in their dance techniques," says Waubonsie Valley coach Ashley Knowles.

Knowles added that they knew, going into state, that their biggest competition would be Downers Grove North, whose team has qualified for state all 30 years of the competition.

This year, Downers Grove North placed fourth overall in AAA Dance and AAA Kick, while finishing second in AAA Lyrical, behind Belleville East High School.

Led by Coach Toni Royster, she even brought in dancers from the River North Chicago Dance Company, to work with her team and their lyrical routine.

"They really worked on their flexibility and things like hitting triple turns - as a team," Royster says. "It's not about one girl. Everything they do, has to be done as a team."

Illinois Drill Team Association state contest results The list below shows how some of the local schools ranked in the diffrent competitions: AAA Tall Flaga a 1 - St. Charles East 2 - Lake Zurich AAA Lyrical 1 - Belleville East 2 - Downers Grove North A Dance 1 - Clinton 2 - Metro East Lutheran 3 - Driscoll Catholic AAA Dance 1 - O'Fallon 2 - Guilford 3 - Belleville East 4 - Downers Grove North 5 - Waubonsie Valley AAA Lyrical Flag 1 - St Charles East AAA Short Flag 1 - St Charles East AAA Pom Dance 1 - O'Fallon 2 - Collinsville 3 - Morgan Park 4 - Belleville East 5 - Waubonsie Valley 6 - Rolling Meadows AAA Kick 1 - Collinsville 2 - Plainfield Central 3 - Hinsdale South 4 - Downers Grove North

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