Pom Camp '26

Hey kids.

The state of Abby's packing where, according to her, she's 'finished.'

Abby, as you know, was bumped up to the Varsity Pom Team at Midland High last year (one of a small handful that was poached from the JV team at the end of her freshman year), and has been leaning hard into her pom stuff this last year even more than she used to. For the last few years, she's been attending the annual Pom Camps every July at Northwood University, staying in the Dubois dormitory alongside her teammates and various pom teams throughout the region, and spending her days drilling new pom routines, conditioning, and taking part in team-building activities that strengthen the varsity squad. 

My attempt at getting a pic of Abby after she was set up in her dorm room. 

This year's camp ran from Tuesday to Friday, and so with Kris at work the first day of the camp, Yours Truly dropped her off at the dorms and got her situated in her room. Then, each evening around 6:30pm, us parents would return to Northwood in order to watch Midland High - along with all of the other schools participating at the camp - perform the exact, same routine for judges to review (the varsity teams performed a certain routine, and then the middle school and JV teams performed a different one.) 

Abby roomed with Brooklyn this year, and this is their door.

Is it repetitive (and super boring) watching twelve different teams perform an identical routine to the same song? Absolutely. But as parents that's the sorta thing you signed up for when you decided to have kids - it's not like we're not going to watch our kid perform at a school function, c'mon.

So we had four evenings full of pom routines this week, and Abby (and all the other kids there) wore themselves out drilling day in and day out. I don't know how the hell they do it, practicing and performing from breakfast until the time they go to bed each night, then getting six hours of sleep and repeating the process all over again. But hell, whatever floats their boat, I guess - all the kids involved with this sport seem to love it.

I took like 99% of the pics and video clips below straight off Abby's phone, so I don't know the details with most of it, but I did my best to arrange them all in chronological order and give them some context for you. About the same as the last two years she's done this whole Pom Camp thing, we're just gonna take a stab at how her week looked sifting though the dozens of pics she took of her and her teammates throughout the week. I'm sure she could do a much better job at explaining all of this to you folks, but, like I've said before, I'm the only one who contributes to this blog anymore so you're stuck with my two cents here.

Enjoy. . .

Midland Varsity Pom, on Day 1 of Pom Camp - ready to get to work at practice.

The team's mascot (or pet, not sure what the culture here is), watching the team practice their High Kicks.

That chick in the black is the designated 'trainer' or 'staff member' from the camp (usually a recently-graduated varsity pommer from another school who works for the camp program), teaching the team the day's assigned routine at practice.

Each day the teams receive a new routine and they have to drill it all damn day, then perform it for the judges (and whatever families members show up) in the evening. Abby's second from left in this one.

Team huddle (or something.)

A pic of team, somewhere on campus (the seniors get to wear a sash throughout the week, I guess.)

We had to buy multiple 'spirit day' shirts for Abby, as we do every year when she attends this camp, which was not included in the camp's ridiculous registration fees. 

I don't have the patience to be a pom coach, I'd straight up murder some teenage girls over something like this.

At practice on Day 2 (I think.) Not sure what's up with this pedophile flag, here.

This must be Northwoods' indoor football or soccer complex (I didn't know they had one.)

The trainer leads the kids through a new routine.

Summoning dark spirits from the abysmal plains to aid them in their evening performance.

Midland High, performing their new routine for the judges and families.

Logan showed up on Day 2 and brought Abby flowers, so Abby asked if I'd take them home for her and put them in a vase of water so they wouldn't die in her dorm room. So I obviously looked pretty cool just standing around bored, holding flowers.

Logan and Abby, following the conclusion of the evening's routines.

These two are a couple of dorks.

No idea.

Abby, Nica, and Brooklyn, showing off their new pom camp sweatshirts (we paid $50 for hers, in case you were curious - she'll wear it twice, spill coffee on it, and never wear it again.)

This generation's new obsession with shitty point-and-shoot cameras is weird.

Another team huddle, I'm guessing on Day 3.

Or maybe Day 4, I don't know - they wear the same uniform for every evening performance.

(Abby is in the back row, on the left.)

Practicing the kick line again.

Day 4 Pom Routine

The bleachers they have here are absolute murder on one's back, so Erik and I got into the habit of bringing camping chairs and sitting off to the side. He wasn't able to show up on the last day of the camp (because they held the final performance at noon, right before pick-up at the end of camp), so I sat off to the side of the bleachers by myself. Kris or Alayna took this pic of me sleeping during one of the other team's routines. Sue me, this shit gets super boring when it's not your own kid's team on the stage.

Following the end of the performances, there was about an hour's lull where kids just ambled around the gym, taking pics with one another and dancing along to music that was blasting over the gym's PA system. We had to kill some time before they announced this year's All-Star Pom Team for the state (Abby once again tried out for the team this year, which should be nice and expensive for us), so we had to sit around and wait for the results. In the meantime, while we sat around bored, Abby went around getting pics with all of her friends and teammates (like Brooklyn here.)

With Nica.

Of course with her best friend, Ella.

Abby and Ella do their custom 'handshake,' which they've had since they were like 10 years old.

A pic with Emma.

One with her coaches.

I don't know who this is, I forget her name.

Not sure who this is, either - but she's been on the team with Abby for years.

Abby, Ella and Harper recreate their old Northeast Middle School Pom pose.

I'm not familiar with this pose, must be some new viral thing all the kids are doing these days on social media.

The frickin' scuba thing.

The dreaded Six-Seven.

Abby and some old chick, holding up participation ribbons (I think.)

Dancing along to 'Macarena.'

After an hour, they announced the All Star Pom Team, and the girls here from Midland's High's team - including Abby and Ella - qualified this year. So now the Johnsons get to spend Thanksgiving down in Detroit with us this year, and drop an arm and a leg on that whole shit-show.

Abby poses with their team's designated staff trainer after Midland High took the Grand Prize for this year's Pom Camp (they were deemed the best pom team at the camp for the second year in a row, which Abby was super excited about.)

Probably talking about something super important here.

The team, posing with their hard-won trophy.

Abby and her awards from this year.

Money well spent, right? Whatever makes your kids happy, folks. FML.

- Brian

Pom Camp '25, feat. Abby and the MHS Varsity Pom Squad

What's up, Pom fans.

I included the itinerary for each day of the Camp for you.

Abby once again wanted to go to Pom Camp this summer, which seems to fall the week after the Fourth of July every year, over at local Northwood University. It's about the closest thing to a 'summer camp' she does, so we grudgingly pulled out the $600 admission cost and basically set it on fire.

Pom is seriously the most expensive sport in school. Soooo glad Abby went with that when she could be playing volleyball or running track.

Anyway.

Unlike last year, her and Ella wouldn't be sharing a dorm room this year since Ella didn't make the Midland's varsity team during tryouts a few months back (though she should have, Ella's up there with the best from their grade - it was complete bullshit, but at least they'll be on the same team again their Junior Year.) With her BFF no longer an option, Abby roomed with another friend of hers (who also made Varsity), Nica, in that DuBois Hall that all the teams from varying schools cram into.

Alayna, Sharon, and I help the girls move into their dorm room on Day 1. 

The camp followed the same schedule as last year: practice and team-building throughout the day, then an evening 'evaluation' where you perform the routine you learned that day (each day at camp you learn a new routine) for a panel of judges and all the family and friends that show up, then you go back to your dorms to go to sleep. They're long, demanding days and the girls definitely wear themselves out - when Abby came home from camp she crashed immediately and slept for almost half a day (not surprisingly.)

Anyway, the captions in this post are gonna be short and sweet 'cause I was only present during the Evening Evaluation performances (that being the only part of the camp that's open to the public) - I have no idea what the rest of the camp entailed, I'm just sharing pics and video I took off Abby's phone and the MHS Varsity Instagram account.

So yeah - here's Pom Camp '25, folks. Enjoy. . .

We had to have Abby at Northwood by like 7:30am in order to get her settled in the dorms before practice started on Day 1. That was loads of fun.

The Cannonball, being a helpful sister. These dorm rooms are tiny and outdated - far crappier than the ones Kris and I had at Western Michigan, that's for damn sure.

Roommates Abby and Nica

Team pic of MHS Varsity Pom on the morning of Day 1.

They have camp staff - older girls who have graduated pom and either were pommers themselves in high school, are pom coaches at other schools, or are currently pommers at a collegiate level - teach the teams a new routine every day that they then have to turn around and perform at the evening evaluation. Pretty intense.

Practicing.

Huddling up for another team chant (team-building is a big component of these camps, too.)

Another team pic in the afternoon or evening (I guess.)

The Varsity sophomores - Nica, Abby, and Brooklyn.

MHS Varsity's performance during Day 1's Evening's Evaluations, which - as stated before - was open to family and friends. 

Day 2 Itinerary

Getting around in the morning of Day 2

Walking from the dorms to the athletic complex.

Abby with Nica and Brooklyn at practice that day (every day has a different 'theme,' and they get different shirts for each day.)

A team pic for Day 2 in their 'Fall in love with Pom' shirts.

Day 2's Evening Evaluation performance

Day 3 Itinerary

They must have had two shirts for Day 3, 'cause in these practice pics - which I'm sure are out of order (they're from Instagram and SnapChat, so there's no time-stamp on 'em) - they're wearing two different styles of shirt. Who knows.

Another bathroom selfie with Nica and Brooklyn.

Day 3 Team Pic

Brooklyn and Abby

More practice.

Kick Line practice.

Performing at the Day 3 Evening Evaluations.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the girls next to their decorated dorm room door (based on the movie Tangled) on Day 1, so I made sure to do so when I helped move Abby out of her room on the morning of Day 4 (they had to be completely moved out of their dorm before reporting to the gym for the Final Evaluations.) 

Kick Line on point with this crew.

Day 4's Final Evaluation performance - the last one of this year's Pom Camp.

After all the teams performed their original routine again (from Day 1) they announced this year's All-Star Pom Team. Girls had the opportunity to try out for this elite (and expensive) pom team, comprised of students from all over the state. This All-Star Team marches in the Detroit Thanksgiving Parade, travels to other countries, Disney World, the Capitol, etc. - it's a big deal. Abby decided 'what the hell' and tried out on a whim.

. . . . aaaaaand she made All-Star Pom Team. Kris and I were super proud of her, but also a little apprehensive 'cause this one's gonna be REALLY expensive. Kris is gonna have to start hookin' on the side or something.

MHS Varsity Pom

Per the usual, after performances, awards, and announcing the All-Star Pom Team, girls milled about the gymnasium and took pictures with their friends and families. . . all the while parents patiently stood by, waiting for their kids to wrap up.

Abby and the team's Staff Sister (the staff member who helps the coaches train the team in the various routines throughout the week.) I don't know this chick's name.

Hugs.

And one with this dork.

Posing with one of her coaches (again, don't know her name.)

So there you go, folks - Abby kicked ass at this year's Pom Camp, once again. And she made All-Stars. This kid's a f***ing rock star.

- Brian