1,532.5 miles of travel, 212 days and 727.5 hours of practice. All to become national champions.

JV and varsity dance team members won two national titles during the Jan. 31-Feb. 1 UDA National Dance Team Championship, taking place at the ESPN Center in Orlando, Florida.

“Achieving such a huge accomplishment with my team made this the most amazing thing I could experience,” varsity captain Sam Droope said.

Dance teams from schools across the nation came to compete in Jazz, Pom, Hip Hop and High Kick divisions. Divisions are based upon team size, grade and age.

The teams are judged by a panel consisting of college coaches and Universal Dance Association staff. Judging is based on difficulty and technique of the routines and the overall performance.

“When you’re a part of a dance team, it becomes a part of your life,” Droope said. “You are with the team more than anyone and they become like your family.”

For the first time ever, the varsity team took first place in the Varsity Hip Hop category. A prevailing victory after the team won first in the Varsity Jazz category last year.

“As a senior, I have no regrets of anything I ever did as a dancer,” Droope said. “I am so unbelievably proud of everyone on my team.”

The team was full of dancers with new ambitions and goals that brought a new energy and made the year extremely special, according to varsity coach Rachelle Kiehle. The 17 members worked nearly seven days a week to create memorable dances that pushed them to the very best of their ability.

“This meant a lot to them. It gave them the confidence that we aren’t just a one hit team that’s only good at Jazz, but we can compete big in Hip Hop, too,” Kiehle said.

For the first time since 2001, the JV team took first place in the Junior Varsity Pom category. The 15 member team performed two routines in finals: a jazz routine that placed third overall in it’s category and a pom routine that placed first for the category.

“This win was so important to me because it’s the first time I’ve been a part of a real team that really cares for each other and really works well together,” sophomore JV dancer Brendan Ryan said. “Watching it all pay off was amazing.”

The team learned and perfected choreography and technique starting last May. They held practices three to four days a week with numerous extra practices before nationals. The dancers were more than prepared to take on the competition, according to Burnett.

“Winning meant that with hard work, dedication and the love and support for each team member you can achieve anything,” JV coach Ashley Burnett said. “Our motto this year was ‘Don’t stop believing.’”

The varsity and JV teams double medaled at the national competition and will be featured on ESPN in late April and early March. Both teams returned home with trophies, medals and national title-winner white satin jackets.