It wouldn’t be Homecoming without the annual pep rally performance featuring the varsity football and dance teams, a tradition that has become a crowd favorite over the years. Blending athleticism, humor, teamwork, and school spirit, the routine is the highlight of the week’s festivities. However, performing with such timing requires hours of painstaking effort to synchronize the performance to perfection.

Before the first eight-count, both football and dance teams came into rehearsals with expectations for how this year’s performance would unfold. Although crowds anxiously await the performance each year, the road to perfection isn’t always easy. Both teams work together to learn new skills in order to pull off the seamless stunt, getting students excited for the big game.

Senior Bella Rabe’s experience preparing football players for the pep rally dance reflects the unique nature of this tradition.

“I pretty much expect the chaos, but I know they’ll eventually lock in,” she said. “I figured anyone who’s done the pep rally before would care, but Joey seems to really want the performance to go well.”

To Rabe, the pep rally is not just a dance, it is an important part of her character. The pep rally is an opportunity to show what she is most passionate about.

Senior football player Joey Ware, who took part in this year’s collaboration, stepped outside his comfort zone and onto the floor. Ware felt discomfort while practicing, noting the vast contrast between dance and football.

“I thought it would be hard and dancing is definitely not something I’m used to, so I knew it would be a challenge,” he said.

Confidence on the football field doesn’t always translate to the dance floor.

“Honestly, dancing in front of the whole school is scarier than playing a football game,” Ware stated. “On the field, I know what I’m doing. Dancing, it’s a whole different world.”

Another senior football player, Elliot Reed, also addressed the different types of expertise that are required for dance such as memorization and accurate movement.

“Dance seems to be a lot more precise compared to football,” he said. “Obviously football requires discipline and attention to detail, but dance takes an insane amount of focus to memorize the moves and line them up in time”

Although it requires different skills from football, the team was determined to learn the moves and ready to perform. Reed believes in overcoming those challenges.

“I’m not a very outgoing person so it will definitely be a challenge to dance in an environment like that while looking like I’m enjoying it. ” he said. “I was definitely a little nervous at first, but I knew that it would become a lot of fun”

As the pep rally neared, the teams continued practicing their routine by putting in their time, energy, and passion in hopes of delivering a performance that would not just energize the crowd, but create memories.

Senior dancer Ava Lichtwald believed the dance would set the perfect tone for the climax of the excitement of the homecoming celebration.

“I think with these rehearsals, we’ll be in good shape to put on a show,” she said.

Throughout the years, Lichtwald believes that the boys participating have become more serious about the performance, praising the changes that they have made throughout the years.

“We usually bribe them with food, but over the years there has been more participation without the bribery,” she said. “I was worried they weren’t going to care or take it seriously, but they are all asking questions and trying to truly understand the routine to do their best”

by Summer Zinsli

Published October 6, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue I

Detailed practice time leads to athletic cross pollination for dance, football