Canton athletics has another championship to add to their trophy case.

On Nov. 6, the Canton Pompon team won the Medium Varsity Division at the Hip Hop/High Kick Mid American championship in Saginaw, with their Sea Cruise Ship themed routine.

“The routine showcased [a song from 1974] “Rock the Boat” and the modern “Suite Life on Deck” Disney theme song,” said coach Gabby Cayao.

Canton came in first with a score of 290.5 points, on a 300 point scale.

Plymouth Pom also attended the competition, coming in fourth in the Large Varsity Division with 284 points.

“I always gave 110 percent every practice, and it felt great to win because I knew that all my hard work paid off,” said junior Mallery Woodard.

Senior Clara Mason said, “Winning high kick was an amazing feeling. Nothing beats the feeling of accomplishing a great goal that you have worked so hard for, for so long with your team.”

The team emphasized the excitement that they get from these type of competitions.

Senior Alia Jones said, “The adrenaline rush I get from being on the floor is what I live for. The lights and the crowd make me feel at ease while I’m doing something I love. We have a saying and it goes “last time, best time,” so as seniors we wanted to make our [last performances], our best.”

With the amount of time spent together, the team has created a strong bond, especially the seniors.

“I’m going to miss the team aspect of the sport, we spent nearly every day together. The girls on this team became my second family and it’s going to be hard to be without them for the first time in four years,” said Jones.

Mason mentioned that the girls on the team are like her “sisters.”

The pom season lasts a total of nine months. This was their second large event, as they held their own Variety Show in the Salem Auditorium in October.

“I know that these girls are busy juggling around other important commitments, school and pom, but we overcome any difficult time, personal or not, together as a family. There is not one challenge these amazing girls cannot handle,” said Cayao.

With performances at football games, basketball games and competitions at the regional and state levels, pom is almost a full year responsibility for the team.

Regionals and states are also both put on by Mid American Pompon, occurring in January and February respectively.

Cayao said, “This is one of the most important events for us as a team because it is their final performance that [the team] competes with. I am beyond excited to finish off the season knowing that we will all be proud with what they leave on the floor.”

If you’d like to attend the regional and state competitions, the dates are Jan. 21 and Jan. 22 respectively, occurring at Heritage High School day one and Northville High School day two. States are Feb. 21 at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University.

For more information, visit pompon.com.