The squad faced much anxiety, as many of the girls now had to memorize new parts only a few hours prior to the competition. Worries mounted as the competition drew near.

"I was a little nervous. I was worried the girls would forget their parts," Lorenzana says. "But when we were getting ready, putting on make-up and clothes, all the girls were practicing their parts. So I knew everything would be fine. As long as we had fun, nothing else would matter."

It seemed as though the squad was doomed with bad breaks when, in the middle of the routine, bad luck struck again.

"The DJ must have bumped the table or something because our CD skipped a whole song," Lorenzana says. "It went right from the pom part to the kick. I was worried, but the girls didn't give up."

Although the squad was allowed to start the routine over, it was only good enough to earn a fifth place finish. Damascus took first place, Magruder second, and Seneca Valley finished third.

However, the Cougars were able to carry on their tradition of being strong fans, as the squad captured the Spirit Award.

"It's much easier to dance and get into it when you have your fans screaming," Saturn says. "It's a lot harder when it's silent."

Team unity was highly stressed with this year's squad. There were new faces and many more seniors than last year. This year's squad had eight seniors, compared to only three from last year.

"Leadership roles changed a lot," Lorenzana says, "but overall, everyone really got along this year."

The squad is looking forward to next year, but it will most likely be without head coach Allie Ground. The
seven-year coach will be retiring due to a change in her husband's job. Ground helped build up a solid pom program at QO.

"She always kept us in check," Strimple says. "We'd never fool around. We always took direction from her."

The members of next year's squad are uncertain about what to anticipate at this point. With a new coach coming in, there will likely be several changes in routine and expectations for competitions.

"I hope next year's captain will be someone who knows what she's doing, speaks her mind, and stands up for the rest of the squad," Strimple says. "I also hope [the squad] doesn't get tired of the routines and that they have fun and don't forget about the tradition that we've kept up. I also hope the new coach will be someone who is more of a coach and not a best friend to the girls."