A few weeks ago, the Wheeling Park Competition Dance Team went down to Florida to compete at the 2026 National Competition, and they well-exceeded anyone’s expectations – including their own. Achieving 4th place in Jazz and 5th place in Pom, they advanced to the finals of the national competition and broke their personal record. They also earned a special Unleashed Award for their creative dance routines. This historic win for not only the Wheeling Park Dance Team, but Appalachia’s national dance presence as a whole was no easy feat and deserves endless recognition.
Nationals was the grandest stage for these girls, and the opportunity to go down to Orlando and compete so fiercely was nothing short of an honor for them.
“I think it was a really good experience, but it was a little harder because we have such a young team. We only had two seniors on the comp team this year, so I think with our experience we were able to guide the team a lot better, but it was definitely a new experience for a lot of our members. We ended up doing really well,” said senior Kerrigan Moses.
“It was really fun, you get to see how your teammates act in more mature and responsible situations, and you get to see how we all come together as a team at the end of the season. You also get to see all the progress that you’ve had throughout each season and the coaches are always really proud. An added bonus is that during our downtime we get to hang out and be a group,” said senior Abbie Hines.
A lot of work goes into making a group of dancers as successful as the Wheeling Park Competition Dance Team is, and that is all thanks to the amazing efforts of the competitors. The road to nationals began early in, and these girls stopped at nothing to achieve their goals.
“The journey to nationals starts pretty early on. We choose music, choreography, and costuming– and obviously, lots of practice. It’s a process to figure out what works and what doesn’t work until we arrive at the final product we feel confident in,” said Coach Stefanie Maroney.
Moses and Hines– along with the team’s junior, Abby– also led the team to success through their own work ethic, highlighting all the hurdles they faced over the course of the season.
“The competition team this year is actually pretty young with 6 of them being freshmen and sophomores. It’s a nice blend of experience and the willingness of the younger ones to learn from that. Plus, they are taught we always dance for our teammates first and ourselves second,” said Maroney.
“Week after week, hour after hour, over break we were here for hours practicing– just countless days of practice to achieve this,” said Moses.
More goes into a dance team’s final product than just practicing their choreo, though. In fact, there is a lot of planning involved when it comes to costumes, choosing music, and of course getting to that final product.
“Being a part of the process from start to finish is really cool. From hearing the music for the first time, seeing the costumes go from a sketch on paper to on our beautiful and talented girls on stage, knowing the hard work it took from all of us is so special. Having the privilege of coaching alongside my daughter Jenna who also has graced the nationals stage as a member of the WPDT is an added bonus,” said Maroney.
Moses and Hines are definitely sad to leave their girls. After watching the team grow from something small to a group able to achieve record-highs at nationals for the school, they know now that the team is in great hands with the younger competitors.
“I’m quite sad to leave, especially because I’ve seen our little program build up since my freshman year, but I know they’ll do well,” said Moses.
“This is the best we’ve ever done at nationals, we’ve never gotten 4th before. It’s a great memory to have. I think if they keep working hard and keep the positive attitudes they have, those we’re leaving will be able to achieve anything they want,” said Hines.
This historic win has lit a fire under the underclassmen that won’t be going out anytime soon, striving to even beat the newly set record of 4th place.
“It shows me how well we can do and that if we work even harder than we did this year, we can do better than we already did. We can be in the top three,” said Freshman Rosie Dobson.
However, Coach Stefanie Maroney puts it best and paints a picture of hard work, endless effort, and how much representing their home on that finals stage meant to them.
“After a rough go at nationals last season, we set a team goal of advancing to finals this year. Being able to not only accomplish that goal but place the highest we ever have as a team confirmed the blood, sweat– and yes, tears– were worth it. It is a long season with a lot of hard work and dedication but I am confident each team member will tell you it is worth it, ” said Maroney.
The awards were not easily won– it took the maximum effort of each individual team member to achieve the placings that they did– and that alone is a massive accomplishment. However, the impact Wheeling Park’s Dance Team has left on the national stage, representing rural America and the Appalachian dance scene is not to be understated. Next season, they’re going for gold.
