On October 18, 2024, Fall sports senior night had taken place at the Chester Vs. RedBud Football game during pregame and halftime. There were many teams and their seniors recognized this night. These seniors are recognized for their hard time, work, and dedication to their sport(s).
One of the groups that were recognized this night was the CHS Dance Team. The Dance Team consists of 5 senior dance members who are Mirra Krieg, Whitney Sulser, Summer Valleroy, Tia Martinez, and Emma Murphy. These dance team members have been asked questions about them, and their time on the dance team.
The 1st Dance Team Senior is Mirra Krieg. Mirra has been on the dance team for 4 years now. Mirra was asked why she joined the team and responded by saying that she loves dancing, and always had loved it. Dance has given Mirra multiple opportunities and has grown to love her team and her coaches. One of Mirra’s favorite dance memories was during competition season her sophomore year. Mirra and her teammates were performing their pom competition routine during halftime of a home basketball game. Mirra was working on her aerial for quite some time and her coach had wanted her to try it out for this performance. Mirra went for the aerial and landed it, and it was a very big accomplishment of her’s. Mirra’s and her teammates did extremely well that night as well so she was very proud of them as well. Mirra’s advice for anyone wanting to try out for the team is if you think you like dancing and are interested in it, just go for it. Dancing is a lot of fun and you can learn a lot of things. She also says to not be scared to give it your all, and that it is guaranteed to have a good time. After high school, Mirra plans to attend college. Mirra wants to study education and become an elementary teacher.
The 2nd Dance Team Senior is Whitney Sulser. Whitney has been on the dance team for 4 years now. Whitney was also asked why she joined the dance team and she responded by saying that it was something that looked very fun, and she also wanted to try and step outside of her comfort zone. Whitney’s best friends were also going to try out so it helped make her want to try out even more and ended in a very great time. Whitney’s favorite dance memory is when they did all of the fun things when she went to state her junior year, and also all of the laughs that she and her roommates had together. Whitney’s advice for someone who is wanting to try out for the dance team is to just do it. Trying out was one of the best things that Whitey did and has made these past 4 years amazing for it. It also allowed Whitney to make many great connections with others. Whitney also said that as long as you are willing to work hard and make the commitments it takes to become a dancer and to be on the team, it will be one of the best decisions that you will ever make. After high school Whitney plans to attend Southeast Missouri State University to get her bachelor’s degree in Pre-Vet/Animal Science, and after she completes that she plans to go on to get her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine.
The 3rd Dance Team Senior is Summer Valleroy. Summer has been on the dance team for 4 years now. Summer has also been asked why she joined that dance team and she responded by saying that being in dance has been something that has been in her family for many years. Being a dancer is almost like a tradition that’s been passed down. Summer’s favorite dance memory was being able to go to state and stay in a hotel with all of her best friends, and being able to run through the halls was her favorite part. Summer’s advice for someone who might want to try out for the dance team is to make sure that when you try out, you have clean moves, and remember to have pointed toes and straight legs. After high school Summer plans to go to college, preferably a college for art, and definitely one that is far away from Illinois!
The 4th Dance Team Senior is Tia Martinez. Tia has been on the dance team for 3 years now. Tia was also asked why she joined the Dance Team and she responded by saying that she wanted to try something new and it looked very fun to her. One of Tia’s favorite memories was going to state her junior year with some of her best friends. Tia’s advice for someone who might want to try out for the dance team is to have confidence, put in the effort, and to not get discouraged if it’s rough in the beginning. After high school Tia plans to go to SIUC for psychology or sociology.
The 5th Dance Senior is Emma Murphy. Emma has been on the dance team for 2 years now. Emma was also asked why she joined the dance team and she responded by saying that she joined because she wanted to have a family, and to have sisters that cared about her and their sport collectively. Emma’s favorite dance memory is being on the floor dancing together for fun right before they announce the awards of who won. This is one of the biggest stress relievers for Emma after being so tense about competing. Emma loves being able to dance, goof off, and laugh with her teammates. Emma’s advice for someone who might want to join the dance team is that you can achieve anything no matter how hard you may think it is. You can come into dance with no prior experience but passion and drive to be on the team and to perform. You can be just as good if not even better than those who have danced in the past. Don’t be scared to try new things, because if you work for it long enough, you will be able to do it. In the dance world there’s no such thing as “you can’t do it.” After high school Emma is currently still undecided but she is also in the process of taking the ASVAB and wanting to go into the Army. She is also thinking about going to a University to be a Rad Tech.
