‘Guy Poms’ to return in January 2019

Next semester, a new opportunity for senior boys will arise. ‘Guy Poms’ will be open to any senior boy that wants to join.

For boys worried about dancing, no prior skills are necessary, and there are no try outs. Guy poms will be on a first-come-first-serve basis; the dance team will accept the first 30 boys to sign up.  

Guys poms has been offered at VHHS in the past, and Brian McDonald, the VHHS Athletic Director, approved bringing it back this school year.

“It’s not something new, and the Athletic Department is not actively searching for a guys pom squad, but this is something fun the kids want to do, so I said okay this year,” McDonald said.

Although the dance team is offering a guy poms performance opportunity, McDonald clarified that, “If a male student wanted to be on our dance team, he could tryout like anybody else.”

According to McDonald, guy poms is more for show than performing in tournaments and invites, like the dance team does.

In October, Sydnie Kaufman (12) proposed the idea of guy poms to McDonald because she noticed that girls have a chance to participate in Powder Puff their senior year, but there is nothing for boys to play in the girls’ shoes.

“Guy poms is an opportunity for guys who are seniors to participate in a dance program similar to what the dance team does, giving them an opportunity to be a part of it,” Kaufman said.

Since they will not actually be competing like the dance team, the current dance team members have offered to give their time and help with choreography and music.

The dance team coaches will be there to answer questions and make sure student behavior stays safe and appropriate.

As for practices, the team is aware of busy schedules, and the dancers don’t want guy poms to hold anyone back from participating in other school sports and clubs; however, practices are mandatory in order for guys to perform. Practices will be before or after school and will start in January.

Word has already started to spread about guy poms, and students have shown interest in joining, including Brett Sweeny (12).

I think guy poms is an amazing idea for our school because it gives some people the opportunity to show off their true dancing abilities,” Sweeny said.

According to Kaufman, a Google form sign-up will be sent out directly to senior boys in the upcoming weeks.

“While nothing is set in stone, the guy poms team is scheduled to perform at the Winter Recognition assembly, and possibly some upcoming basketball games,” Kaufman said.