Why is the Missouri State Championship Held at an Arena?

Yvonne Cole, MDTA Judging Coordinator

This is a very good question that has been posed by some of our member coaches. What is the rationale behind this decision? For many of our members, arenas have been the only venues they have experienced for our State Championship. However, this was not always the case. Historically, this contest was held at local high schools in the state. The inception of the first contest was the brainchild of George Fithen, who was the coach at Cleveland High School. The judges for his contest were always Cleveland alumni. When he passed away, the predecessor of MDTA, the Metropolitan Area Pom Pon Association, was born. The purpose of that organization was to sponsor a fair and equitable contest for teams in the St. Louis area.

As time passed, the contest grew and expanded beyond St. Louis to include teams from other parts of the state, including Kansas City. As participation increased, our organization went from a local one to a statewide one. It was an exciting experience to see teams from all over the state of Missouri perform their unique styles. But, with that growth came challenges. We had outgrown the high school venue. (as a point of reference, there is no local contest that hosts more than 60 teams, while our most recent state contest had a total of 110 participating teams) There were issues with crowd sizes and fire safety law violations due to spectators sitting in the aisles to see their favorite teams perform. We searched for a solution to the problem.

One solution was to hold the contest at two different high schools. This required the Board to divide up to run the contest at two different locations on the same day. This worked for a while, but our contest continued to grow and the two-venue plan was no longer effective. It also stretched our resources very thin. There were issues transporting judges to two different locations. Often, spectators infringed on the judges’ space which made their jobs very difficult. It is a challenge to offer constructive comments meant for the performing teams and their coaches when spectators are only a few feet away.

We then tried hosting the contest at one site with three sessions running consecutively during the day. This was a great plan, on paper. On one occasion, there was a music glitch in the morning session which threw the contest behind. Spectators who arrived for the next session were forced to wait outside in the cold February air until the first session finished. We had to clear the performance gym and move to a smaller gym for the awards so the spectators could enter and we could start the next session. As you can imagine, parking was a challenge because the spectators from the first session still had the spaces that the arriving spectators needed. It was chaotic to say the least.

After these situations, the MDTA Board decided it was time to find a venue that could house the entire contest, allow for the comfort and safety of both the dancers and spectators, and provide adequate space for the judges to do their jobs. This was no easy task and the decision to move the contest from the local high school setting was not one that was made without significant discussion and thought.

As our dance programs have evolved and routines have become more technical and more advanced, the need and desire for rehearsal space has increased. The Board has tried to accommodate these changing needs that teams require. Every venue has pros and cons. As a Board, we have tried to meet the needs of our teams, while at the same time, recognize that there are priorities in every situation. The top priority is the safety of our dancers, spectators and staff. That means we must host the contest at a facility large enough to accommodate everyone who wishes to be a part of the State experience. Hosting the contest in a less than adequate space does not serve that need. In addition, we are an independent organization and, as such, we must procure insurance for this event. The incident insurance does not come cheap and there are certain requirements that the insurance carrier demands which explains the reason for complying with NFHS and MSHSAA safety guidelines.

Another important aspect of any competitive event is the judges. The MDTA Board strives to find qualified and knowledgeable judges to work at our event. However, we also feel that it is part of our obligation to these professionals to provide the best possible environment for them to do the job for which we have contracted them. The arena setting is preferred because of the privacy and accommodations built in for space to prepare and judge, convenient restrooms and the ability to have separation from spectators so they can best complete the tasks assigned to them. Although similar accommodations can be made at a high school, providing space around the judging panels can be difficult because seating at high schools is limited and we want to accommodate as many spectators as possible. And just for the record, judges love attending our contest. It is well known and highly respected throughout the dance judge community.

Arenas are also "neutral" sites - no team regularly practices or performs at the arenas we have used, so there is an understanding of a level playing field instead of the possibility of a team competing from their familiar home space. Rotating the location to different areas of the state also speaks to the effort to provide fair accommodations and logistical options for teams across the state.

Also, consider the responsibility of a team hosting a contest in which they are also competing. This is a large request for the team and its coaching staff. Just ask any team that has hosted a contest about how many steps they put in during the day as they welcome and escort competing teams to the various areas of their school. The responsibility on the coaching staff of a hosting team would also be a tremendous burden. Remember, MDTA would be an outside organization renting the space and if the home school were not hosting the event, think of the numbers of supporting roles that would need to be filled (maintenance, cafeteria, ticket takers, etc.). It is not a given that a hosting school’s dance team would be willing to take on the responsibility that goes along with all the behind-the-scenes activities required to make an event of this size work, including the time needed after the completion of the contest to put the school back in order for the coming week.

There are pros and cons to any contest venue. As a Board, we have considered all the suggestions made by our members, but as a majority we believe an arena setting offers the physical space capacity for teams, spectators, judges and support staff to achieve the best results. It makes a three-division rotation possible for a morning and afternoon session. This rotation allows enough time between routines and divisions to give teams time to transition from category to category and judges ample time to thoughtfully score routines and provide thorough verbal feedback. There are minimal unplanned pauses because time can be built in, even if a judging group needs to score routines back-to-back in a division. It allows spaces for all spectators to have an unobstructed view of the performances and it allows the MDTA Board and staff the necessary manpower to handle all contest-related challenges.

As a Board, we are committed to providing the best competition experience possible. This requires weighing the pros and cons of all venues and using what we’ve learned from the past to select the best possible location for all those involved.

Contributors to this article: members of the 2025 MDTA State Judging Panel; Julie Voss Catron (former MDTA judge/MDTA member at large); Brett Elder (former MDTA president/former coach Park Hill High School); Karen Bahr (former coach St. Charles West High School/former MDTA treasurer); Miranda Gelven (coach Lindbergh High School).