About Us
What is Poms/Dance?
Poms/Dance is a year-round, competitive high school sport. Our dancing consists of Poms technique, Jazz/Lyrical technique, and hip hop.
We performs at sporting events, including football and basketball, and we also perform at pep rally's and school assemblies. We compete in various competitions throughout the year in Pom and Jazz styles.
Most importantly we are a dance team that supports the Dakota Ridge athletics department.
Coach's Philosophy
To provide dancers with a successful, meaningful, and educational experience during their time here at Dakota Ridge High School. Dancers will learn spirit, develop good sportsmanship amongst the student body, and show enthusiasm, leadership, and loyalty among the DRHS community. We aim to coach from a place of empathy while encouraging communication skills and hard work.
In this program coaches vow that all of the athletes will learn more than just cheerleading/dance skills, but life lessons that they will carry for the rest of their lives.
Meet the Coaches
Head Coach- Rose Smith
The core of my coaching philosophy:
- Passion
-Development
Coaching is something that I am passionate about and strive to be the best I can be in. I believe coaching is more than just giving the skills needed to succeed in a sport but also to give athletes life skills. From good communication skills, leadership development and general flexibility. I have been teaching since I was in High School and have been motivated to improve my skills due to my passion and dedication to dance as a sport and art form.
I received my Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science with a dual minor in writing and psychology. I am a personal trainer by day coaching all ages through individualized programs catered to their goals. While at MSU Denver I danced on the dance team for 2 years captaining my second season. Additional appearances include a cast member of The Adventures of Eon, the Dance 2b Summer Intensive, Modern Suspects performance at the Blue Bird theater and a semifinalist for the Denver Nuggets Dancers.
I have earned several certifications specific to coaching through the National Federation of HS Sports including my Certified Interscholastic Coach as well as Dance/Cheer safety certification. I have additionally earned several certificates through the National Academy of Sports Medicine to help coach the training side of dance. In addition to text book experience, I have been coaching Poms for 6 years and am looking forward to the continued growth of the Dakota Ridge Dance team.
JV Head Coach- Kelli Judd
The core of my coaching philosophy:
- Integrity
-Gratitude
-Growth
In sum, my coaching philosophy centers around the belief that dance is not just about mastering technique but about cultivating character. My goal is help dancers become not only better athletes with competitive success, but better people—ones who are self-aware, passionate, resilient, and always striving to be the best versions of themselves.
My personal dance history includes significant experience in genres: Pom, and Jazz. Additional but lesser experience in: Ballet, Hip Hop, and Ballroom. Through my tenure as a competitive dancer- I was voted a team lead, voted team MVP, placed 7th in the nation at Allstar Nationals in Anaheim, California in pom, and danced alongside numerous athletes whom are now professional dancers. In my adulthood, I furthered my dance career at MSU Denver prior to moving out of state.
Since my addition to the DRHS Poms program in 2024, we secured two regional champion titles (NDA & USA), and the highest state competition score in program history.
Outside of coaching, I have about 7 years of childhood development experience ranging from clinical pediatric care to swim instructing. I have my Associate’s Degree in Communications and am actively pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Cybersecurity.