The Golden Girls traveled to Orlando, FL for NDA Nationals on March 2 for a weekend long competition.

The girls placed fourth in the nation in small varsity team mix, four spots better than last season. They also competed in pom and placed ninth out of 32 teams that competed.

“Getting awards is awesome, but also very nerve racking because you hope to get the placement that your team deserves. The team did amazing and I’m very proud of our accomplishments from this season,” Emma Miller (11) said.

In order to prepare, the girls practiced almost everyday to perfect their dances to get them competition ready. Their hard work paid off when they got to experience the Nationals stage.

“When we were on stage it was a very exciting experience. There was so much energy and we were all giving 110 percent in order to perform the best we could,” Katie Pickens (10) said.

The girls made a lot of memories with each other on the trip. They spent time at Universal’s Citywalk and made Build-a-Bears to bring back as a souvenir. The trip is never complete without their traditional jumping picture in front of the Universal Studios globe in their matching team outfits.

“My favorite part of the trip was dancing with my team and bonding more with each other and with friends on other teams,” Carolyn Grayson (10) said.