Feb. 5 was the last day that sophomore Kaili Raymond was proud of herself.

Varsity Escadrille performed at Disney World for Nationals, and ended up not only making it to Finals, but placing 7th in the nation.

Prelims took place Feb. 2, Semi-Finals Feb. 3 and Finals Feb. 4. The team found out their scores the following day.

The year before, during her freshman season on JV Escadrille, Raymond had hip problems and needed surgery. 

“When I got to compete on that stage and we got 7th place in the whole nation, I was very proud of myself because I got through my surgery,” Raymond said.

Escadrille competed against over 100 teams in the medium category, Raymond said.

Even though she had to spend some time sitting out during her JV season, Raymond was able to audition for the varsity team.

“I had to try-out in November because I was still recovering from my hip surgery. Luckily, I was strong enough and my coaches gave me the chance to compete with them,” she said.

Try-outs for Escadrille usually take place in April, Raymond got her hip surgery on May 3.

“The whole summer I was doing physical therapy and trying to keep up with learning all the choreography while I was still injured, but I still worked hard and got put on the team,” Raymond said.

Escadrille had to attend the Universal Dance Association Camp over the summer in order to get their Nationals bid. The team competed against other local schools at that time.

“I had to sit out because I was still [injured],” she said.

Raymond was excited when she found out the Escadrille team’s placement at Nationals.

“I felt ecstatic, I felt explosive,” she said.