UPDATED: Tears of joy

CANNON FALLS -- Bomber Dance Team coach Carrie Pommier opened a manila envelope and flipped through its contents searching for her squad's high kick scores. When she found them, she teared up.

A few moments later she was hunched over a garbage bin in a hallway of the Cannon Falls High School cafeteria and sobbing.

Opposing coaches and judges stopped and checked on Pommier, asking if anything was wrong. She reassured them everything was fine, in fact, it was much better than fine.

Pommier was flooded with joy when she saw the Bomber Dance Team's scores. For the last five years, the team's goal has been to earn a 10. Cannon Falls had never earned a perfect score until Thursday at its Mini-Meet when it was awarded three 10s.

The perfect scores came in the following categories -- difficulty of formations and transitions, kick difficulty and visual effectiveness and creativity. Cannon Falls finished with a total score of 408 in high kick to place first in the six-team field.

"They do surprise me every week and get better every week," Pommier said. "... Overall, couldn't ask for a better performance. They nailed everything we've been working on and also brought their presentation, which has been a big focus for us."

In addition, the Bomber Dance Team won the five-school jazz competition.

Goodhue also competed at the Cannon Falls Mini-Meet, which featured schools from both Class A and AAA competing against one another. Goodhue placed sixth in high kick.

It was one of the first times this season that Goodhue was able to compete with its full complement of dancers. The team had been shorthanded in previous competitions because of injuries and illness.

"To see all 13 of them out there from seventh-grade all the way to the couple juniors I have is amazing," Goodhue coach Krystle Graber said. "I think they did wonderful."

To read more about the Cannon Falls and Goodhue dance teams, pick up Saturday's Republican Eagle.

Tags: cannon falls, dance team, prep, bombers, goodhue, wildcats