Social officers play a big role in making sure morale is high, especially during morning practices, which are notoriously “hated” among team members. Future officer candidates are invited to bring sweet treats to morning practice during competition season to keep the girls going.

“I count down the morning practices,” Nguyen said. “As a senior, it’s my last year doing the practices, so that definitely helps me get through it. Basically, I have the mindset of last one, best one. So I put in my all, knowing that it’s gonna be my last competition.”

As social officers, Nguyen and Vondenstein play a part in ensuring that the team is tight knit. The social officers plan events such as making envelopes for each dancer filled with positive encouragement from their fellow teammates, releasing the Belle Ball theme and making a paper chain to symbolize the days leading up to competition.

“Before I joined social officers, I always thought it was about keeping up the team morale, hyping everybody up and making sure the team was a happy place for Belles,” Vondenstein said. “And while that is the majority of what it is, I think that one of the most important things we do is keeping the team together as a whole. I feel like the social officers are the reason things come together.”