In the heat of July, when competition was getting tougher for captain spots on the JV Poms team, Gabby Krause was one out of 18 girls who was surprised to learn she earned a title.

“I think when a team of 18 has 14 freshman, it makes sense to have a freshman as a leader,” Jen Seigel, JV Poms coach, said.

After the first few months of practice, the reveal of the JV Pom captains was a shock for most of the team. There had never been a freshman captain before, but Gabby Krause was the exception. By evaluating the performance, behavior and friendliness of the girls, the coaches of the varsity and JV teams choose the captains.

“I was a little nervous about what the other freshman would think,” Krause, freshman, said. “Like, ‘Oh she’s a freshman, why wasn’t I picked then?’”

Though the freshmen Poms expected the four sophomores to earn captain titles, they felt Krause deserved it. As the team is made up of four sophomores and 14 freshmen, they feel it’s beneficial to have a freshman captain to represent the majority.

“It’s nice having a freshman as a captain because its someone in our grade that’s a leader, so it’s not just upperclassmen,” Allie Thaman, freshman, said.

Krause quickly adjusted to the role of authority she had over the team, working with sophomore captains, Bret Bell and Helen Morse. The three work together to create dances and decide the team’s attire for each performance.

“I think the team respects her more, my only fear is that she’s so quiet, so I get nervous of how they’ll treat her,” Bell said.

Krause has learned how to balance the dynamic of her leadership with underclassmen status. As she goes through this season with her role on the team, Krause feels it has been a positive experience.

“Out of all the freshmen, she’s the best dancer and she just gives 102 percent every practice,” Bell said.