Tiger Dance Team beats the odds with three siblings on its team

Morgan, Audrey and Catherine Feuerhahn have tapped, pirouetted and jazz danced at a local studio since they were toddlers. Since then they've grown to become Central High School students, and instead of practicing five times a week at the studio, the sisters practice in their basement.

They're motivated to instill team spirit and with the Tigers Dance Team, a troupe of 20 members, have proven they know how to do it.

The team's successes include winning first place in the Division 4A State Championships for the last two years in a row, in dance and kick respectively; just two years ago they placed eighth nationwide at the NDA's national competition in Orlando, Fla., and 20 percent of the team has been Universal Dance Association winners. They perform at halftime during home basketball games and occasionally at a football or soccer game.

Coach Leslie Buck is not only proud of the team's achievements in dance, but also in its members' ability to maintain high academic standards. She said, "Their team cumulative GPA is 3.64. I'm really proud of them."

Morgan, a junior at the high school, has been on the team for three years now. As one of four captains, her responsibilities include choreography, leading practices and helping create unity.

The twins, Audrey and Catherine, are freshmen. Their aunt, Lori Zimmer, said, "Once they saw how much fun Morgan was having they went ahead and tried out for the team."

"They're wonderful," Buck said. "By that I mean they're assets in setting the example of getting along and doing what's expected."

Inspired by the team

Morgan believes it's rare to have three sisters on a team of 20. Typical sibling encounters arise, and Morgan can attest to that. "We usually come home from practice and run through the dances that we learned together in the basement," she said. "Occasionally we do argue because Audrey and Catherine don't always want me to tell them what I think they should do. We rarely disagree at dance; each of us are busy dancing and when we have downtime we chat with our friends."

Audrey and Catherine both feel that having fellow dance-team members living under the same roof helps them to remember routines and know what needs to be worked on. Both girls are also inspired by the other team members who are willing to help others.

Their mother, Tracie, said, "Having three dancers in the house can be chaotic. Last year in the spring, the week before tryouts was a very stressful time at home with all three girls trying out for the team. We tried to support them as much as we could and we would've somehow dealt with it if they all had not made the team."

Each spring, 50 to 60 girls try out for the dance team. Girls currently on the team must try out each season. Judges do not include staff from the junior high. Tracie Feuerhahn said, "This way they remain as objective as possible."

The girls' father, David, supports the girls by attending as many games as possible and making home videos of their performances. He's happy and proud of them.

Tracie Feuerhahn has noticed a difference between the early years of taking the girls to dance lessons and now. "The dance team is something they look forward to doing. They don't need to be motivated to practice," she said. "They're glad to do it. It's another way to support their school. It's important to them to continue to place in the competitions and that keeps them focused."

Tryouts are just around the corner, only a couple of months away, and the stress will be on again at the Feuerhahn household. But for now there are competitions to distract them from the upcoming pressures of trying out. They include a dance and kick competition held at St. Charles, Mo., on Sunday and a state competition Feb. 26, also in St. Charles.