For the better part of the past decade, the Austin dance team has been making a name for itself.

Our local dancers have earned state berths each of the last nine years, and they earned their ninth trip this past weekend at the section 1AA meet in Packer Gym.

The top three teams each in the high kick and jazz categories advanced to state, and the Packers placed second in high kick. They just missed in jazz, as Austin placed fourth in the 14-team field.

The Packers compete at the Target Center in Minneapolis Saturday at 2:15 p.m. in the preliminaries. If they reach the finals, they compete again at 7:15 p.m.

These teams and coaches put in a lot of hard work and effort throughout the season and balance both school and work loads on top of that.

We congratulate the Austin dance team on qualifying for state, and we wish them the best this Saturday.