Staving off injuries and some serious competition, the East Haven Pom Pom team truly showed what it is made of by persisting through all the adversity this winter, and it made its way to a new tier of success for the entire program.

This past year, the Yellowjackets notched a pair of major feats when it came to postseason performances. The girls placed tops in the Jazz Division at the Wildcat Dance Off prior to finishing runner-up for the Pom Pom Division. East Haven then topped those achievements by cracking the top 5 in the Pom Pom competition at the State Championship.

Head Coach Megan Butler declared that while the Wildcat placements were astounding to the girls, the states showing was the true capper for the campaign that saw them top themselves from the prior year.

“Our biggest accomplishment this year was placing first in Jazz and second in Pom Pom at the Wildcat Dance Off. Talk about a highlight moment of the year, that was it! The girls were so happy and proud and, as their coach, I could not have been prouder that day,” said Butler. “Placing fifth in the state for Pom Pom was such an amazing accomplishment for our team. This year, we scored the highest the team ever has in all my years of coaching the East Haven Pom Pom team. Each year, the ultimate goal is to be better than the last year, so this was very satisfying for the 2023-2024 year.”

Butler went on to boast about how much of a united front her club was this year from the opening days of practice to its conclusion and final meetings. Even more so, the Yellowjackets strived for individual progression with their abilities, and it certainly was evident with the final tallies at competitions.

“We strive for unification and team bonding throughout our year. Our ultimate goals are to not only become better dancers with better scores and placements, but better people as a whole,” Butler said. “My girls surprise me every year with how far they come from the beginning to the end of the year.”

The Yellowjackets’ fortitude was tested from the onset of the season when they had some holes in the lineup due to injury. Yet they banded together with stupendous leadership from their captains to blow past the hurdles and reach even greater heights.

“The beginning of the competition season started off rough, as we lost two dancers midseason, but the team bounced back, and we had the most successful season I have had in all my 10 years of coaching,” said Butler. “My two senior captains, Giana Carr and Madison Parise-Orsini, really stepped up, and the team learned and executed many new and challenging dance skills and had a very successful year.”

Carr additionally received selections on the All-State Team for the second time and All-Academic Team for the first occasion in her tenure. Junior captain Gianna Caffalette joined Carr on the All-State squad–denoting her inaugural selection to the club. Also, the team received a judge’s special award at the competition Dancin’ in the Woods called the Rockefeller Award for their performance on that day.

In her parting words to her stellar seniors, Butler commended them for not only their physical undertakings on the competitive floor, but also their durability away from it. They helped guide the entire program to newfound peaks, thanks to that spectacular and composed stewardship.

“This season I had four seniors. Unfortunately, Izabella Bunnell had a serious knee injury at the beginning of the season and was unable to dance. Even with the injury, she would show up to all practices and competitions to support and cheer on her team,” said Butler. “I had two senior captains, Giana Carr and Madison Parise-Orsini, who took their roles as team captain seriously, and they were great leaders and key players in our successes. I could not have asked for better captains this year. My three captains had a great bond, and that is a big part of why they had such positive contributions to the team, and we were able to have the amazing year we had. Our other senior, Alexis DeMayo, was always respectful and hard-working. No matter how tough the challenge, she never gave up and always supported her team and cheered them on. All my seniors will be missed, but I have no doubt they will be amazing in their next chapter, and I wish them well, and they know I am always here for them.”

The Yellowjackets have set themselves up quite well for sustained success down the road, thanks to a solid core of returning athletes along with a diligent recruitment effort. No matter the makeup of the roster once the lengthy grind starts up again rather soon, the girls are aware of the new bar that has been positioned to push beyond.

“I have five returning athletes, and our recruiting is in full swing now, so we are very hopeful to find a promising group to carry on where the team left off this year,” said Butler. “Of course, my goal every year is to improve and be better than the previous year. We start training in June and continue until the winter when our competitions start. It becomes harder and a bit more challenging for the team as the year goes on. However, the team knows the expectations, and it only makes us better, stronger, and more successful, and that is what we all want!”

The roster for the Yellowjackets this season was comprised of seniors Bunnell, Carr, Parise-Orsini, DeMayo; juniors Caffalette, Arianna Franklin; sophomores Abriana Duffy, Diana Melynk; and freshman Corrine Maddox.