Valentine’s Day 2026 was especially exciting for the amazing student athletes of the Old Quarry Middle School Dance Team. At the state dance competition in Springfield, the team put it all out on the floor and ended up earning first place in Jazz and first place in Open Pom, which means they took home not one, but two state championships!

For the veteran eighth graders on the team, it was a huge moment. 

“When we won State, it felt like a reflection of all the time, effort and work we put in throughout the season,” said Keira E. “It felt amazing knowing that all our hard work paid off,” added Juliana W.

“Winning the state championship was incredible,” said Evangeline V. “This was also an emotional moment for me and the team because this was when we found out we had won and looking back at all the hard work we have made since August makes everything so worth it.”

Hard work, long hours, building relationships, and pushing themselves and each other was all part of the process.

Stepping Up to Success

Amanda Grochowski is a special education teacher at Old Quarry who has been in the district for eight years. She started dancing at a young age and says every report she ever wrote was about being a dancer. She majored in dance and moved to New York to dance, but when the group she had been accepted to disbanded, she moved home to Illinois. She started coaching the Old Quarry Dance Team in 2019 and began transitioning the group from performing not only on the sidelines at sporting events, but also a competitive team. Even before she started coaching she was determined to help her team win state. 

“There was always a dance world around Lemont but we started treating it more like a sports team with tryouts and routine practices,” said Grochowski. “I have coached my whole life and have a bachelor’s degree in dance and it has always been my passion.”

The team is led by Grochowski and Central Fourth Grade Teacher and Coach Kaylyn Tomasek, who will tell you they are “one brain” when it comes to coaching. Tomase started dancing at three years old and danced for the Naperville Central High School Dance Team. She teaches dance at Elevation Dance Studio to a variety of different age groups with passion and energy.

Once the dance program at OQ launched there were enough participants to create two teams. The JV team performs at events and does some exhibitions, while Varsity participates in competitions. The team prepares two routines and has always qualified for state. In 2025, the team got close to the top earning third place in Open Pom and fifth in Jazz. 

Putting in the Work

Tryouts take place in May and students are placed on either the JV or Varsity squad. The season starts in August and lasts almost the whole school year. When practice kicks off, the team learns one of their dances in one day, with a choreographer helping with one routine and Grochowski and Coach Tomasek choreographing the other. 

“I am so fortunate to have been on this team and to be able to advance my abilities each year,” said Addie E. “My advice for future dancers is that you have to trust the process, it will all make sense eventually.”

The group practices two days a week and practices are intense with technique, choreography and repetition. The coaches also rely on the veteran eighth graders to step up as leaders, especially when it comes to molding dancers who have never done a Pom routine before.

“Pom dancing is extremely different with really focused arm placement and intense speed so there is a learning curve,” said Grochowski. “A lot of our eight graders started out as alternates or were on the JV squad and they really bring their personalities and great energy to their role as leaders.”

“Over the past three years not only have my turns gotten better but I’ve learned to become a better teammate,” said Izzy R. 

“One of my biggest accomplishments has been how much I've grown technically and performance-wise since joining the team three years ago,” added Keira E. “I've learned to improve my technique, confidence and delivery when I dance.”

To prepare for competitions, the team performs at basketball games and established an incredible dance showcase in November that filled the Old Quarry gymnasium. The showcase featured performances from each of the teams including a kids camp group and dancers from Lemont High School. When competitions rolled around in December, the Warriors were ready. 

“We got first place at the first competition and then did that at every competition following,” said Grochowski. “It was our first time having a completely undefeated season!”

The Big Dance for Middle School Dance

When the state tournament rolled around in February, the team was buzzing with excitement after such a strong season. After arriving in Springfield on Friday, they had a team pizza party and got some rest before a nearly 18-hour day of competition with performances at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The routines were locked in and perfected. 

“The coaches talked and agreed that we had never seen this group of dancers want anything more in their lives than the moment they woke up that morning,” remembers Grochowski. “They walked in and looked exactly where the out of bound lines were and they were so locked in and focused. It was a totally different energy.” 

The jazz routine was to Little Bird by Annie Lennox. The routine starts with an eight grader dancing solo before she passes the torch to the younger dancers for a full team performance that is a metaphor for a mama bird laying the land for the little birds to continue the legacy of the dance program.

For the Open Pom competition, the girls performed to a highly energetic medley of some of the best hits the 90s had to offer including Boyz II Men, Destiny’s Child, and Montell Jordan. It was a highly energetic performance with neon poms, team aerials, and extremely fast turn sequences. 

When the music stopped and they hit their final positions for both routines, the coaches looked at each other and agreed that what they had just witnessed was the best they had ever seen these young athletes do. The long hours and after school commitment, the parent sacrifice in driving to and from practices and competitions; all of it immediately felt worth it. 

When it came time for the winners to be announced, the team was feeling good but nervous. Coaches say that the facial expressions of the dancers after they were announced as the champions ran a whole range from shock, joy, sobbing, and everything in between. 

“Everyone was thinking ‘hey, maybe, just maybe, we did it,’ and that feeling of hope, throughout our whole team, was my favorite memory of the season,” shared Elena S. “We walked into Springfield with hope, knowing we had the possibility of winning. But with that being the farthest OQ dance team has ever gone, we left it all out on the floor - for ourselves, for our team, and for our school. Walking out the State doors knowing that that was enough for the judges, is a feeling I can't describe.”

Never one to settle, Grochowski and Tomasek are already planning for next year with tryouts taking place in May. Their plan of attack is to keep building on what is working and hope to keep evolving in the future. 

Dance Like a Warrior

Outgoing eighth graders give advice to younger dancers who aspire to be on the OQMS Dance Team.

“Be kind. Work hard. And believe in yourself!” - Izzy R.

“I would tell them that they should really focus and put all their effort into dancing. I would also tell them that the Old Quarry Dance Team is a very loving team in that everyone is so kind and you can always count on them. The last thing I would tell them is there is a time for fun and a time for hard work. If you listen and give all of your attention that can get you so far! Then applying just one correction is one step closer to success. This is what we all did to become champions—twice!” - Evangeline V. 

“You have to trust the process, it will all make sense eventually. Build an understanding of the quality of movement and keep trying even when it’s hard.” - Addie E.

“I would tell them to stay consistent, positive and don't be afraid to challenge yourself. Growth comes from stepping outside your comfort zone.” - Keira E. 

“I would recommend that everyone that is thinking about trying out should do it! While being on the team requires a lot of commitment and dedication. Dancers on the team should also be open to learning new things and applying corrections from coaches, while at the same time staying focused and working hard. I love this team so much and I wouldn't change it for the world. Good Luck future OQ Dancers!” - Elena S.

“I would tell them to always stay focused and work hard because that is a characteristic that can get you to win state.” - Juliana W.