Photo courtesy of Iowa Central Athletics: The Iowa Central dance team poses with their hardware at the Iowa State Dance and Drill Team Championships in Des Moines. The Tritons took first place in Pom, first in Jazz and second in Hip-Hop for the community college division.

DES MOINES — The end result had a very familiar ring to it.

In reality, Iowa Central’s dance program had just completed — and endured — a season that was anything but normal.

The Tritons secured first place in the community college Pom division for the 10th consecutive year at the Iowa State Dance and Drill Team Championships, while also earning gold in the Jazz competition and silver in Hip-Hop.

Eight other schools stood in Iowa Central’s way on the day of the 49th annual event inside Wells Fargo Arena. What most people didn’t know was the story behind this year’s preparation, the adversity the Tritons faced, and the mental toughness head coach Cassidy Vermeer’s team showed with the shadow of tragedy still lingering.

“I was extremely proud of the team for coming together and continuing to work hard, even on some of the hardest days,” said Vermeer, a former Fort Dodge Senior High and Iowa Central dancer herself who is in her 12th season coaching the program. “We had to make a lot of changes throughout the semester, even up until the very last second. They all handled it like champs, never complained, and just put in the extra effort that was needed.”

The routine process of preparation was turned upside down with the passing of team member Daniel Hughes in October.

“After Daniel passed away, we coaches really had no idea how we were going to continue with the semester,” Vermeer admitted. “We had to find a lot of strength within ourselves to lead the team successfully from that point.

“We had to just take it one day at a time, and remember that the best way to honor Daniel was to continue our dance season for him.”

Iowa Central captains Reese Pederson — a 2023 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate — Miranda Pohlman (Manson Northwest Webster) and Juliana Warren joined their teammates in building a bond that shined during performance time and sustained light away from it.

“Despite everything we had to overcome, there were a lot of returners who stepped up and helped guide and lead the way for others,” said assistant coach Stephanie Sibenaller, a South Central Calhoun graduate. “The team danced for so much more than just dance this semester. It was very rewarding to see the team understand their purpose and keep their ‘why’ at the forefront all the time.

“Preparing these routines helped the dancers and us coaches find healing during a time of such profound sadness.”

Vermeer is constantly pushing the program to reinvent itself and stay fresh in order to avoid inertia.

“We coaches continue to research and study the art and sport of dance as it evolves every year,” Vermeer said. “We try to stay up with all of the trends, as it does change so quickly.

“We also bring in some of the most professional, top-notch choreographers to work with our team and give them the most elite routines to be successful and help them grow both as dancers and people.

“At Iowa Central, our dance team is built around legacy, tradition and family. A lot of our alumni continue to follow the program. We make it known that we’re about so much more than the current team. We’re a family that goes back many years. The environment and culture we create is so important…we put a huge priority on making sure all dancers are having a positive and educational experience.”

April Naeve (Fort Dodge), Ella Sells (Fort Dodge) Ann Cornell, Taylor Estes, Sofia Hobbs, Patience Johnson, Kayla Keokham, Daria Kline, Jasmine Sliefert and Jazmin Williams are the other Triton sophomores. Freshmen Ava Guy (Humboldt), McKenna Mathis (Humboldt), Natasha Johnson (Dakota City), Brooklyn Osborn (Eagle Grove), Kaycee Rubel (Corwith) and Ashlyn Waldera (LuVerne) are area team members.