Best of Flyer Flash: Super Great!

The Jetettes perform during halftime at a Boys Basketball Game against Snow Canyon High.
Photo by Kirra Wilkinson, Flyer Flash

Super Great!

by Skylie McArthur

Reporter, Flyer Flash

This article appears in the October 29, 2012 edition of the Flyer Flash.

------

Everyone see’s the performance side of the Jetettes at football and basketball halftimes, but a lot of the time that’s the only side they see. They don’t realize how much really goes into being a Dixie High Jetette.

This could be due to the fact that they practice in the wee hours of the morning when no other students are on campus or even awake. Every single morning, April through June and August through March, the Jetettes are up and at ‘em and dancing in the main gym at six am.

They start out the morning by stretching in lines spread out across the floor, led by two of the officers, jamming out to pump up music. After about ten minutes, they’re all stretched and ready to do kicks.

“Shake it” by Metro Station blares through the speakers and the girls run to their kick line, tallest in the middle and descending height down the line. After a “5-6-7-8” and a slap, they’re kicking away any sense of sleepiness left in them.

After finishing the morning kicks, Mrs. P, the Jetette advisor, starts working through either the routine they’ll be performing that week or polishing their competition dances. They start out by cleaning the dances, which consists of straightening formations, matching arm and leg angles, and counting through the routine.

If there’s a home football game that week, the Jetettes will spend a couple of their morning practices out on the field to make sure their dance will look absolutely pristine for the performance.

The girls could go on and on about their experiences and feelings during field practice. “By the end of practice, everyone’s black from head to toe”, says Shyenne McMahon, senior.. “Nobody likes field practice, but we do what’s necessary to be ready for halftime” states Ashley Hurd, senior captain.  

Jetettes practice and perform throughout the year at Dixie
High School.
Photo Courtesy of Malea Ellet

After practice ends, 7:30 on A days and 8:40 on B days, the girls rush up to the two locker rooms and the dance lab to get ready for the rest of their long day.

As soon as the bell rings for either school to start or second period, you’ll see the Jetettes dashing out of the gym building, sometimes still putting on shoes and accessories, trying to make it to class before the late bell rings.

Throughout the rest of the school day, the girls attend class and do their work, sometimes even sneaking in some “z’s” due to the very early morning. “Although it’s exhausting, we try our best,” says Amy Hauck, junior. Sadie Polatis, also a junior, states, “Mrs. P always encourages us to get good grades and go to class.” With the lack of sleep they get, sometimes they can be a bit ornery during the school day. “Sometimes I can be cranky because I wake up so early,” Janessa McElyea, senior, says.

The Jetettes also practice after school on Mondays and Thursdays from three to four-fifteen. They meet in the dance lab and basically go through the same routine as morning practices, only much more awake. By the time they finish, it’s time for the girls to go home and do homework, go to their jobs, or take a well deserved nap.

On home football game nights, the girls meet in the dance lab before the game starts to put on performance make-up, tie their hair up in slick buns, and slip on the snazzy costumes for that evening’s routine.

The Jetettes perform at the assembly honoring the football
state championships.
Photo by Kirra Wilkinson, Flyer Flash

After they’re all ready, the Jetettes head down to the football field and sit in the student section. They watch the first quarter and cheer for the team louder than anyone else. As soon as second quarter comes, the girls rush down to the little grass field to the north of the bleachers to count through their routine one last time before they perform in front of their peers.

With about three minutes left in second quarter, the Jetettes gather in a circle, link pinkies, and say a prayer. After the “amen”, the assistant coach, Miss Heidi, squeezes the girls pinky next to her and the squeeze goes around the circle till it gets back to her. She then yells “What are you gonna do to that crowd?”, to which they reply, “GIVE ‘EM FITS! ‘S’ IS FOR SUPER, ‘U’ IS FOR UNITED, ‘P’ IS FOR PERFECTION AND YOU KNOW THAT WE’RE EXCITED, ‘E’ IS ENERGETIC AND ‘R’ IS FOR RAD, SO TELL THE OTHER TEAM THAT WE’RE THE BEST AND WE ARE BAD! SUPER JETETTES! BUM BUM BUM BUM! SUPER JETETTES! BUM BUM BUM BUM! WHOOOOOO!” This ‘ritual’ gets the girls pumped! They run to their walk-on line and stand at attention, waiting for half time to go so they can march onto the field.

As soon as the bell sounds, the announcer booms a welcoming to the Jetettes and they walk to their beginning formation.

After the performance, their parents, friends, and peers congratulate them and they rush to change out of their costumes so they can enjoy the rest of the game in comfort.

Though being a super great Jetette requires plenty of time, energy, and commitment, it is one hundred percent worth it! “I love to dance and it gives me a great opportunity to do that,” says Baylie Brooks, junior captain.