Griffon Spirit celebrates first trip to nationals
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Although ringing the bell is a sign of victory in the field of play for Griffon Athletic teams, last Sunday night, it was about celebrating a milestone.
Griffon Spirit's Dance Team took its first-ever trip to the NDA College Nationals competition last week. Although the team didn't get the desired outcome, it was more about the process and the foundation for what the team can become.
Starting from the bottom of a newer program isn't a foreign experience for Griffon Spirit Head Coach Emily Jensen. She was a part of the first dance team at her alma mater, Texas Woman's University.
Jensen said she is thrilled with what her team has accomplished in year one, especially given that many athletes are new to the team themselves.
"We had never gone to a competition. None of us had ever gone. And so I know it's literally exactly what this feels like to be on the other side of that, trying to coach people," Jensen said late Sunday night. "I think what that meant this week was being able to give that support and encouragement that I received and needed at that time because I can just seemingly understand that."
Two of those athletes who took the floor for a new field of competition for the Griffons were St. Joseph native Claire Cathcart and Silver Lake High School alumna Avri Braxterman. After providing the 'spirit' to multiple teams who rang the bell in victory this season, Cathcart's reaction to her squad doing so wasn't lost on her.
"It's something that this program has ever done. So it was a really special moment. It was a big feeling, lots of feelings," Cathcart said. "We didn't think we'd be here last year. Like, and then we have been working on this routine for months. We've been through challenges, and we are where we started and where we are. We're just so proud of what we put out there with our team, and it just makes us really excited for next year."
Growing a team is never easy; however, this achievement has already attracted local athletes who have recently signed letters of intent to join the team next year. Showing that local residents aren't only helping cheer on the Griffons, but are interested in donning the black and gold in multiple fields of competition.
"We're excited that they're excited. And we're just ready to have new people join the team and fresh people and just really grow our program even more," Braxterman told KQ2. "It's something that we've been working on this year, and our push was to really just start from the ground and work our way up."
As for the emotions of growing this team on the floor and as young women, Jensen's emotions as their team sang the fight song and rang the bell close to midnight weren't lost to her.
"It's a little bit hard to keep that motivation going throughout the whole year. It's a really long year. " As I said, there's not really an offseason," Jensen said on her team's mark of accomplishment. "So just as a coach, to see them feel that moment of having that spotlight a little bit (while ringing the bell. We love supporting other teams, and we love being there for them."
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