Days start early for the Tahoma dance team with 6 a.m. practices, long before the first bell rings.

All the early mornings and hard work paid off — the 24-member team scored high enough at the district competition to qualify for the state competition Friday and Saturday at the Sundome in Yakima.

“It’s a really cool accomplishment to go to state with all those teams who have been practicing year round,” said Justyne Snyder, a senior and one of the team’s co-captains.

Unlike many of the local high schools dance teams, Tahoma doesn’t begin practicing until November.

The team, led by co-captains Snyder, Haley Alderson, Maddie Williams, Brooke Proctor and Kaylee Meadows, usually competes in four or five regular season events.

At those competitions a point total of 195 or greater will qualify a routine for districts. At the district competition scoring more 210 points will punch a ticket to state.

Tahoma’s hip hop and military routines both qualified for state this year.

For Snyder, being on the squad is just as much about team bonding and having fun as it is earning high scores and making it to the state competition.

“We’re really going to have fun,” Snyder said. “Qualifying for state, that’s the victory.”

Lara Lindersmith, who teaches language arts at Tahoma High, is in her 12th year of coaching the dance team.

Lindersmith is excited to see the team grow as performers while the program attracts more dancers and have the chance to compete with the top teams from around Washington.

“We have a huge group of sophomores, which is exciting because the team is growing,” Lindersmith said. “I’m excited that they’re going to get to go (to state), and see the other teams.”

Lindersmith said one of the things which most impresses her about the team is that they all work hard to excel at academics as well as dance.

“They’re all good students,” Lindersmith said. “I’m very proud of them.”

The team earned the WIAA Distinguished Scholastic Award this year for having a team grade point average between 3.0 and 3.49.

For assistant coach Andrea Hicks, one of the notable things about the team is the camaraderie among the girls.

“It’s awesome that they are all good friends,” Hicks said. “There’s no drama or catiness.”

The team will travel to Yakima on Friday and will watch other teams compete Friday night before performing on Saturday.

In addition to the two routines the team will be performing, seven girls from the team will be competing individually in the drill-down competition.

Drill-down focuses on individual skills and memory — the dancers have to perform moves as it is called out to them, remembering the sequence and performing the moves correctly.

“We’ve come such a long way since the beginning of the season,” Snyder said. “I’m very thankful for the team we have because we’re all so crazy. It has made my last year so much fun to be on a team with these girls.”