Horsemen give Trotters a big send off to state tournament
<p>The Trotters ride down Railroad Avenue in a parade held prior to the school's pep rally.</p>
PLAINS - Tuesday night, the Plains Trotters were treated to a very special Pep Rally, with dancing, singing, speeches and the chance to ride down Railroad Street in a small parade.
For the first time in 22 years, the Trotters made it all the way to State. As long as the Trotters have been a team, they have only gone to State five times.
Suzie VonHeeder was the MC of the night and started off the rally with the school song. Then the team ran out onto the court as the lights were dimmed, and a slide show began. The show pictured some of the team’s biggest plays from the season.
After the slide show, the coaches and managers gave heartfelt speeches about working with the girls over the years. A large number of the girls had been on a basketball team together since sixth grade and see themselves as a family.
After the rally concluded, Kayla Holmes said, “It’s not been this whole year (season), it’s been the past seven years... since we were in seventh grade.”
With the serious portion of the rally completed, the Trotters took front row seats on the bleachers to enjoy a large production by the Horsemen JV and Varsity boys. Calling themselves the “Horsemen Dance Squad,” the boys danced and lip synched to a compilation of songs. Purposely only practicing a few times, the boys could be seen watching each other trying to remember the routine and trying to complete dance moves they only learned days earlier. The crowd went crazy and laughed hysterically.
“I have, at school dances,” laughed Branson Krebs after the routine, describing his dancing history. He led the team throughout the production.
When the dancing and singing concluded, the Trotters and coaches lined up for photos and when they broke apart they stayed in the gym to talk to parents and friends about the upcoming round of games, which started last Thursday.
“We’re ready... We know what we need to do, we know the line up. We just gotta go in there and play our game,” said Coach Griffin. He said that the only thing the girls need to do is get used to a larger stage and court.