HS POM: McAlester ready for bright lights in competition season
Nov. 12—When it comes to the Lady Buffs, they're ready to shine like diamonds — even under pressure.
The McAlester pom team began its competitive season on Friday, and for seniors Kylie Martin, Makayla Oxford, Payden Morgan, Emilee Coxsey, and Abbi Cecil, the transformation into competition season has been a long, grueling process.
"I think it's gone pretty well, considering COVID and all the other factors," Martin said.
"I think I'm just thankful to have a season and be able to compete in person," Oxford added. "This year has been a lot better than past years."
The Lady Buffs will be seeing a lot of competition action in the next month, starting with Oklahoma State Secondary Schools Activities Association Game Day State competition, then all state tryouts, and advancing to state and national dance competition.
But the senior squad spoke for the entire team when they said they were proud of the progress that has been made and all the practice it's taken to get to this point.
"I think we have a really hardworking team this year, and I think we're going to do really well," Morgan said. "I'm excited to see where we go."
"I think it's going to be really good," Coxsey said. "I'm really excited to see where competition takes us."
When the Lady Buffs take to the stage, they'll be doing so in front of a captive audience for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic which took away many of the usual sights they'd see on competition days.
But McAlester isn't nervous about performing in front of people again. Instead, these ladies are going to thrive off of it.
"It's definitely been a year different than any others," Cecil said. "But it's really nice to get back in front of people and see our progress through the past few years."
It keeps us busy, and I like to stay busy," Oxford added.
"It's my favorite season of the year," Morgan said. "It's very stressful, but what we do to prepare is practice, practice, practice. All the time."
Friday's OSSAA competition is only the first step in what the Lady Buffs called the most intense, stressful time of the year. But they're proud of the way they've come together and bonded as a team, even when things seem to be at their toughest.
"I'm ready for competition season because of the energy when you go out on the floor. It's like a whole different world out there," Coxsey said.
"We practice a lot, but we also share a lot of words of encouragement. We try to keep everyone lifted up, even when it's tough sometimes," Cecil said. "It's really emotional. Tears will be shed (at competition)."
But through it all, Morgan summed it up best when she said that despite the nerves, the audience, and the pressure, McAlester is going to leave it all out on the floor and be a better team because of it.
"In football, they see their progress every week, but we see ours three times a year," Martin explained. "It's really hard, but it's excited to see our progress made from August when we learn it to November when we perform it. It's like a big prize."
Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.
