Meeker dancers perform tonight at Holiday Bowl

MEEKER I Fourteen local dancers will perform during the halftime show tonight in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl in San Diego, Calif., which will be televised on ESPN at 7 p.m. The 13 girls and one boy can also be seen on TV tomorrow during the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl parade, America’s Largest Balloon Parade, to be aired Dec. 31 on the USA Network, starting at 9 a.m. Viewers should look for bright turquoise outfits.
Local dance instructor Kari Jo Stevens has danced in three halftime shows of college bowl games herself and was responsible for submitting videos of her team to Bowl Games of America officials the past two years. Stevens’ persistence paid off and the team was invited to perform this year.
“I’m excited to get them this opportunity,” Stevens said. “They will be able to see what other opportunities that are out there in the dancing world.”
Tina Bain, Meghan Gerloff, Katie Morgan, Selena Steele, Emily Eliasen, Mandy de Vergie, Mariah Jensen, Taylor Ahrens, Nicole Hilkey, Alexis Gutierrez, Stephanie Joos, Jordan Smith, Miranda Mayerle and Caleb Dodds.
The team left Meeker on a chartered bus, the day after Christmas, with the temperature at seven-degrees above zero, drove to Denver and flew into 60-degree weather in California.
The dance team held several fundraisers the past few months to enjoy the trip.
The group was scheduled to practice after arriving and will do so everyday while there.
“We’ll spend a day at a dance convention, where they will learn other routines from other instructors and we’ll also spend a day at Sea World,” Stevens said. “There will be lots of practice.”
The Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl will feature the Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-3) against the Washington Huskies (6-6).