Central Tiger Dancers win Class 4 kick competition

The Central High School Tiger Dancers can kick up their heels about a recent state performance.

The dance team came from home the Class 4 state meet with top honors for a second straight year. On Feb. 28 in Kansas City, the Tiger Dancers placed first in the kick category at the state dance team championship. They also placed second in the dance category, which the team won last year.

The Tiger Dancers last year also placed eighth in the team performance category for large school varsity at the National Dance Alliance Championships in Orlando, Fla.

The team combines kicks and classroom smarts, boasting a team grade point average of 3.56. Twelve members of the team are academic all-staters with GPAs of 3.5 or better.

The team boasts two All-Americans: Merritt Gerlach and Susan Zimmer.

Gerlach, Zimmer and Jackie Erlacker are captains for the team, which is coached by Leslie Buck and Tracy Haggerty.

The Tiger Dancers include 20 members and perform at school sporting events and other activities. Central also hosts a statewide dance competition.