And a five, six, seven, eight! The Topperettes are ready for another year of dancing driven not only by their love of dance, but their love and support for each other. 

On Sept. 9 and 11, the Topperettes held a dance clinic open to anyone and everyone. From captains, team members and potential candidates, the atmosphere during tryouts was filled with learning and physicality. 

The class was led by the Topperettes new head coach, Rebeca Gamborino. Tryouts began with light conditioning and stretching, which was followed by techniques such as leaps, turns, kicks and new routines. 

The beginning of the Topperettes dance season began over the summer with practices before camp. While the team had not yet been assigned a new head coach, senior and captain Lexie Murphy held the temporary lead  for the majority of the summer during camp, where the Topperettes learn their dances for the year. 

Murphy said the additional responsibility was a challenge, but  helped her develop better leadership and chemistry with the team. 

“For me personally, since I filled that role myself at camp, I was a nervous wreck,” Murphy said. “It was hard balancing the coaching and dancing aspect of it, doing all of our social media stuff and prepping everything. It definitely helped me grow as a dancer and leader and definitely set the tone for how I want to work for this year.” 

The tone Murphy referred to is  that of commitment, hard work and sisterhood. The team’s president, Sarah DeWhitt, expressed that the passion and community is what inspires her to continue with the program.

“My time with the Topperettes has been good [with] ups and downs. There’s always the hard part, and the days you don’t want to dance. But you do it anyway and you end up loving it,” DeWhitt said. “You’re reminded of the community that’s always there for you.”

This sisterhood formed over the summer is exactly what head coach Rebeca Gamborino danced into and is looking forward to maintaining. When asked what she enjoys about being head coach, she stated that the team’s relationship with one another is what counts most.

“The girls are great. They work really hard, there’s team bonding, and it’s mostly the atmosphere,” Gamborino said.

When asked about the clinic, Light claimed, “I love it. I like how you get to interact with a lot of the team members, and you get to meet the coach as well. You get  insight into what it will be like.” 

A few of the Topperettes’ major performances come at basketball games, competitions in March and the end of the  year show.