The Novi High School varsity pom team is just like all the other athletic teams at the school when it comes to effort, dedication and preparation – putting in countless hours and striving to be the best they can be.

They compete against other pom teams in tournaments throughout the year and last year’s team placed second in Division 2 at the state championships in February.

This year’s Novi varsity pom team, comprised of 17 athletes, began the season in April, competing at Mid American Pompon summer camp, where they earned first place in every routine and took home a Grand Champs trophy, the first for the program since 2019.

The first competition of the season was November 5 at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw. Novi also hosts an invitational every January and will go on to compete at regionals and states later in the winter.

The team is coached by Kristen Walczak, now in her sixth year with the Wildcats. Chelsie Zylka is the assistant coach. Gioia Masseus and Sachi Zalpuri are senior captains this year, and both are excited about the potential of this year’s team and being part of such a rewarding and successful program.

“Pom is a sport that combines many aspects of athleticism including flexibility, strength, and stamina, and I love getting to perform at football and basketball games and show off our hard work in front of the community,” Masseus said. “It is also incredibly rewarding when our efforts pay off at competitions. For all the upcoming competitions this year, we hope to make our community proud and place well in our divisions.”

Masseus, who also is a German Club officer at the high school and maintains a 4.0 unweighted GPA, has been on the pom team for three years.

“It has been a huge part of my high school life,” she said. “I love getting to work hard and represent Novi in athletics. We have practice three days a week for three hours a day, and we push ourselves physically and mentally.”

Like her co-captain, Zalpuri has dedicated a big part of her high school schedule to the pom team and has enjoyed every minute of it.

“I love the community that the program has made throughout the years,” Zalpuri said. “I also love the life lessons that pom has taught me, such as leadership and teamwork. A highlight of my pom career is making some of my closest friends through pom and performing with them. Performing at football games is also something I love doing.”

While pom may appear to be glamorous and fun, it does require plenty of hard work and dedication.

“Pom is very physically demanding,” said Zalpuri, who also runs track and is in marching band. “Our routines require a lot of stamina and strength, which we build over the season and we do it many times in practice to perfect it. Many people don’t realize how hard of a sport pom really is as they don’t see the hours of work we put into it. But I love pom and encourage young girls to join their schools’ team.”

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