Molahiettes reap 3 state titles

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake High School Molahiettes came home with not one, not two, but three state championships from competition last weekend. The previous week the team won a title in national competition.

The Molahiettes won the most championships a team can win in one state competition, said coach Lori Baker. The team also won three state titles in 2010 and 2014, but “it doesn’t happen a lot.”

The 2017 competition drew 35 teams.

The titles came in the military, kick and pom (pom-pom) categories. “Military is about precision,” Baker said, while in pom competition, “it’s all about the pom visuals.” Routines in the kick category must be at least 75 percent kicks.

The national title came in the pom category, with the team taking second in the military category and third in kick competition.

The triple state titles came in a year when 12 of the 24 team members were new to varsity competition. Team members were plagued by injuries throughout the season, and an injury sidelined one participant three days before state competition. “The girl that went in hadn’t competed with us all year,” Baker said.

A bad winter meant the team lost its share of practice time. “As did most of the teams in the state, I think.”

All that left the coaches unsure what would happen when the team took the floor. “We didn’t know what to expect at state.”

What happened was the Molahiettes killed it. The state routines were among the team’s best performances all year, she said.

“The girls completely nailed the numbers. We did all that we could do – I was very proud of them. Having them do good after practicing so hard.”

The team knew they were good routines. “There was a lot of excitement as we came off the floor,” Baker said.

Nevertheless, there’s always an element of uncertainty. “You never know, because it’s judging, it’s not a score.” In 2017 the Molahiettes didn’t have to worry – they beat the second-place team in military competition by 32 points. They took the pom and kick titles by about eight or nine points. “The pom (routine) has been undefeated all year.”

While the team was fighting injury and working to hit the routines, Baker said, she kept telling them that the goal was to peak at the right time. And they did. “They were good when it mattered.”

The Molahiettes were supported all year by parents, families, friends and Moses Lake residents, she said. "We had a great crowd, tons of support from home." There are some team dads who got up way early to be the first spectators into the arena. "They waited a long time to get into the Sun Dome."

Baker also expressed gratitude to her assistant coaches, Peggy Earl (who choreographed the pom routine) and Mackenzie Nielsen (who choreographed the military and kick routines). “No way we could’ve done it without them.”