[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3231-3232]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING SOUTH LAUREL MIDDLE SCHOOL DANCE TEAM

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I would like to recognize the South 
Laurel Middle School Dance Team, a group of young ladies from Laurel 
County in eastern Kentucky who have recently achieved national success. 
South Laurel Middle's dance team won a Universal Dance Association 
national title, marking the first time any dance team from South Laurel 
has won such an accolade.
  Head coach Bettina Rogers recounts that ``they danced with all their 
hearts'' and gratefully recognized the support of the school and the 
friends, family, and community that surrounds these exceptional young 
ladies. The girls embody the Kentucky spirit of hard work and 
dedication, practicing up to 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, in 
preparation for their competition. The team, which formed in March, won 
a plethora of other titles this year, and it is clear that their hours 
of practice have paid off.
  At this time, I would like to applaud and recognize the South Laurel 
Middle School Dance Team for their national title win and all their 
recent accomplishments, and I ask unanimous consent that an article 
extolling the team's achievements from a Laurel County-area newspaper, 
the Sentinel Echo, be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Sentinel Echo, February 6, 2013]

              CHAMPS! SLMS Dance Team Wins National Title

                          (By Magen McCrarey)

       Laurel County, KY.--South Laurel Middle's Dance Team broke 
     a Laurel County record last week and won a Universal Dance 
     Association (UDA) national title. The girls rode into school 
     on Tuesday morning on a

[[Page 3232]]

     City of London fire truck as the entire school cheered them 
     on as the Junior High Kick National Champions.
       ``This is the first time in Laurel County that any dance 
     team has won UDA nationals,'' said Bettina Rogers, head coach 
     for the team.
       Rogers has been coaching the team for eight years and said 
     she couldn't be more proud of her girls. South Laurel 
     Middle's Dance Team has not only won nationals this year, but 
     also gained the title of Kentucky Dance Coaches Organization 
     Overall Middle School Grand Champions, took first place in 
     the Pom Division as well as first place in the Open Division, 
     JAMfest Dance Grand Champions, and were the 2013 Big Blue 
     Cheer and Dance Challenge Grand Champions.
       ``I believe that they danced with all their hearts and 
     souls on that stage, and I'm thankful for the support from 
     our school, administration and their parents,'' Rogers said.
       ``Their dance was perfection, it was just incredible . . . 
     it was flawless,'' added Assistant Coach Jo Anna Sizemore.
       The team of six eighth-graders, seven seventh-graders and 
     one sixth-grader took form in March following try-outs. The 
     girls practiced for the national competition five days a week 
     for approximately three hours, and sometimes four, Sizemore 
     said.
       ``It means the world to me to get to spend five days a week 
     with my dance sisters, not only my sisters in dance, but my 
     sisters in Christ,'' said Megan Ford, an eighth-grade dance 
     team member.
       ``I feel that our win was deserved, for all the hard work 
     we've done. But I also have to give all the glory to God for 
     keeping us safe as we go. I'm so thankful for all of these 
     girls for how we've been spending our time together and how 
     we've stuck together as a team--and not just as a team, but 
     as a family,'' said Hannah Sears, an eighth-grade dance team 
     member.
       Six eighth-graders will be moving on to high school next 
     year, vacating their spots on the award-winning dance team. 
     Coach Rogers says try-outs will begin this March.

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