Hard work, dedication, countless hours of cardio and strength training workouts, and the love of dance all go into the making of a nationals-qualifying dance routine.

The ISU Gold Dance Squad will be competing in the National Dance Alliance (NDA) College Nationals Dance Competition in Daytona, Fla., this week. The team will be performing a routine consisting of jazz, pom and hip-hop dance styles unlike their state routine, which was lyrical.

“My goal is to be proud of what we do at the end of the day,” said Elise Pederson, senior in marketing and finance and one of the captains of the squad.

Pederson also hopes the team makes it past the preliminary round and into finals.

This year’s nationals-bound team is comprised of 21 dancers, one of the largest squads Iowa State has ever sent to nationals. Members from the Gold squad, as well as a few members from the Cardinal squad, make up this year’s national team. Christie Cutter, junior in marketing and one of the captains, said one of her goals is to place in the top five teams in the nation.

“I want to be a good leader, and lead my team to the best we can be,” Cutter said.

Jill Petersen is the coach and leads both of the ISU dance squads; Sarah Stevens is her assistant coach.

“This is just like any other sport; we have games, mandatory practice and high expectations for our dancers on and off the field,” Petersen said.

The team’s training for state and national competitions started in July at camp. The team received first place in hip-hop, first place in team dance, received a fully-paid bid to nationals and had five girls become All-Americans. Iowa State was one of the few universities to receive a fully-paid bid to nationals. This is the third year Iowa State has received the bid.

In the months following summer camp, both the Cardinal and Gold squads prepared for state competition, performed at football and basketball games, made appearances at events such as Destination Iowa State and many other ISU athletic events — all while keeping up their six-days-a-week practice schedule.

At state competition in December, the Gold squad placed first for its lyrical dance. The Cardinal squad also competed and received first for its pom routine. The team has also been doing cardio and strength training workouts to prepare for the competitions.

“We have practice three times a week for three hours. On the off-days we do a cardio or aerobics workout, followed by lifting weights,” Pederson said.

Petersen believes that in order to achieve their goal of being in the top five, they need to stay focused and confident. Both coaches agreed constant practice is necessary to perfect the routine.

“We want to make people wowed and impressed with Iowa State,” Petersen said.

The NDA national competition consists of two rounds. In the preliminary round, every team performs their routine. In the final round, the top 10 to 11 teams in each division compete for top honors. For the past two years, the ISU Dance Team has placed eighth in the nation. This year the team wants to perform better and place higher.

“I am most excited to go and compete with lots of people that share the same passion of dance, and represent Iowa State as a powerful school,” Pederson said.

Petersen, who has been the team’s coach since 1998, has transformed the dance program at Iowa State. In her 13 years as coach, the team has grown in numbers and also in competition.

Petersen has led the team not only to NDA nationals, but also to placing in the top 10 for the past several years. In the five years Iowa State has been able to compete in the state competition, the team has placed first three years in a row, beating out University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa and Drake University.

Stevens, who has been assistant coach for three years now, said although there is a difference in style between the state and national routines, winning state gives the team a boost and more excitement for nationals.