In 1988, high schoolers connected with styles and trends, just like today. Fanny packs were in vogue. Blockbuster became a Friday night destination, and Aqua Net® helped teen girls achieve the popular “big” hair. Just teenagers themselves, Patient Experience Nurse Dana Hindman, BSN, RN, and Case Manager Administrative Assistant Pam Roberts lived through those things and more at Winnetonka High School in Kansas City, North. Decades later, they reconnected as North Kansas City Hospital employees.
When It Began
Then, Dana Catalano and Pam Whitworth, both made the pom pon squad in 1988 as a sophomore and freshman, respectively. They remained on the squad for the next three years as it evolved into the Winnetonka Dance Drill Team. They performed dance routines at halftime for home football games, at wrestling matches and at basketball games. Each home football game required a new routine.
From 1989-1992, they practiced year-round with 12 other girls. They dedicated themselves to 5:30 a.m. practices before school, after school and in the heat of summer. “We all worked hard because we wanted to do well for each other,” Dana recalled. Pam remembered the camaraderie and “how we really liked what we were doing.”
What They Gained
Dance also helped Dana and Pam develop self-confidence. “I could perform in front of 500 people without any fear or doubt. Dance was always a passion for me,” explained Pam, who started dancing at age 3. While Dana found dance later in elementary school, she agreed with Pam about its significance in her life. “Dancing helped get me out of my shell,” she said.
Sometimes the girls made their performing outfits; while other times, fundraisers and parental donations helped purchase the uniforms. Pam and Dana recalled an ongoing competition for the biggest hairstyle.
Winning Team
Today, there’s one event they remembered fondly: their last competition as a group in 1990. At the Show Stoppers Gateway Classic in St. Louis, the team swept 13 other schools and returned with six trophies and a grand champion title. Pam placed first in the individual category, and she was named Miss Show Stopper 1990 for a routine she developed and performed.
More Than Dance
For Dana, the dance team went beyond winning awards. It gave her a reason to live. As a senior, she experienced debilitating leg pain which eventually affected her ability to move. “Just a few months before the St. Louis competition, I couldn’t walk,” she explained. “I really enjoyed the dance team because it kept me going. I felt like a normal teenager.”
Fond Memories
Reflecting on their experiences 31 years later, Pam and Dana are glad they reconnected at NKCH as adults. “As we were catching up, the memories quickly came back and put me on cloud nine. Reliving our experiences has made my heart happy,” Pam said.
Both agree that a stroll down memory lane has given them joy and energized them after a year of isolation and loss with COVID-19. They have reached out to other squad members and are planning to reconnect this year.
