Muncie, Ind. --- The Code Red Dance Team attends their final practice before heading to nationals. From bonding to tidying up their performances, the squad is ready for the big dance.  

For head coach and Code Red alumni Olivia Ralston-Yergler, this group means so much.  

“This team this season has meant so much to me. This is such a special group of dancers. This is the largest group of dancers we have had in the history of our program, which is awesome. This team works so hard. They’re so dedicated,” Coach Ralston-Yergler said. 

One of those girls is junior dancer Jenna Wade. This season has been filled with many highlights for her.   

“Gameday is usually my favorite part of the season. I would say nationals has been close to that this year. I just feel like since I’ve been in it the past two years, I have the experience and ability to help the underclassmen with nationals and any stresses they have,” Wade said.  

Coach Yergler feels stress won’t be an issue and is excited for her group to finally get the spotlight.   

“I am so excited; this is our time to shine. We work all season. We’re at all the athletic events-- which we are so excited to be at-- but this is our time to showcase our talents. So, nationals season is just a really special time,” said Ralston-Yergler. 

Before they fly to the sunshine state, the group is focusing on their goals.  

“Each dancer wrote their goals on their balloons and we released them as a team. [It was] just a little team bonding activity before we left for nationals to focus the team in and get our minds right before we leave,” Ralston-Yergler explained. 

Code Red will travel to Daytona Beach, Florida, for nationals with prelims on Friday and finals on Saturday.

Contact Keenan Hovermale with comments at keenan.hovermale@bsu.edu

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