It seems that state champions are now the new norm for Windsor.

The Golden Line dance team won the state championship for the 3A division in Hip-hop. Led by head coach Lindsey George, and captains Ashton Pleimann and Merissa Van, the team competed for state titles in the hip-hop and lyrical categories, earning first and second place, respectively.

The state competition is divided into six groups depending on class size (1A-6A), and is graded by a panel of four judges based on a thorough criteria: Choreography, Technique, Degree of Difficulty, Staging/Visual Effects, Synchronization, Communication and Overall Effect.

There are six genres of dancing that schools can perform in: Hip hop, precision jazz, lyrical jazz, prop and kick. Windsor participated in the hip hop and lyrical categories.

“In Lyrical, Golden Line really danced from the heart and told a story. In Hip Hop they went out and just had fun. They were having the time of their lives,” said George.

The team was thrilled to end the season with a first place finish.

“Winning state was exciting, and lots of hard work too. It all makes it worth it, especially since this was my last year,” said Pleimann.

While the team is happy that they won this year, they have even bigger goals next season.

“Oh my gosh, it’s amazing. It’s a huge improvement from last year. In the beginning, I was a bit unsure, but we crushed it! Next year I want to win state in more categories,” said sophomore Shawna Hromnak.

There were some close calls during the season, making the state title an even steeper hill to climb.

“For one of our dances for the St. Charles competition, we just weren’t ready. We had to put in a lot more time and effort in order to complete the dance in time. Through everyone’s hard work we were able to pummel through it,” said Pleimann.

Earning the state title is a feat only earned by those willing to go through long, rigorous, and exhausting practices over the course of several months. The practices start in the summer and don’t end until the end of February, which is significantly longer than other high school sports. Practices can last up to two and a half hours of intense, difficult motions.

“They stayed focused despite our extremely long season and really danced as one on Saturday [the day of the championship],” said George. “Our goal was to do our absolute best and they did just that. They are the most humble, dedicated, and motivated group of dancers that I have ever had to privilege to coach.”