Moser School of Dance qualifies 131 athletes at state, nationals are next

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

Moser School of Dance and Gymnastics recently competed in the Iowa USTA Power Tumbling State Championships in Marshalltown along with 24 other Iowa clubs that comprised of over 670 of the 1,176 total athletes who took part in the competition. 

The Moser School, which has locations throughout northeast Iowa, finished the meet with 29 state championship titles and 131 athletes qualifying for nationals, which will be held June 19-24 in Springfield, Ill. 

Among those who qualified were four Elkader residents, Mackenna Fisher, Ellie Lechtenberg, Kendall Wagner and Raelynn Coanner, among numerous others from nearby cities including Manchester, Strawberry Point, Guttenberg, and Edgewood.

The latest result marks the 35th year Moser has competed at the USTA meet, and is one of the 10 total events the school participates in throughout the year leading up to nationals. As a school, Moser has been teaching area youth for over 50 years in tap, jazz/hip hop, ballet and gymnastics, in levels that range from beginners through elite for recreational purposes and competitive events.

With that history, it’s little surprise Moser earned first place as the overall top tumbling team in Iowa for the 2023 season, an achievement coach Carmen Moser Payne said was due to the fact “All our athletes work very hard. They set their goals and have learned at an early age how to work hard to achieve them.”

Those athletes range in age from 2.5 to 22 and compete across nine levels of USTA competition, from sub beginner, which consists of one pass of forward rolls, to advanced beginners, which includes passes and limbering skills. Advanced to elite includes baranis, reversals, fulls and fronts. 

When the team heads to nationals, they will arrive in Illinois with 102 of the 131 who qualified, with the majority of athletes competing at the beginner level or below. A select few will compete above the sub advanced level. 

Among them will be the four from Elkader, with Fisher and Lechtenberg going as state champions, while Wagner, who finished second, and Coanner, who placed seventh, also earned a trip. Cora Fuessley finished state with the highest score out of the 75 athletes competing at the sub beginner level and Hadley Amfahr had the highest score out of all the ages at the beginner level, which was 126 athletes. Lucy Scherbring competed in the advanced beginner level and finished with the highest score out of 140 athletes.

The yearly success of Moser, according to Moser Payne, is, on one hand, a testament to the families. The other is the commitment shown to each individual athlete by Moser coaches. 

On the family side, Moser coaches are acutely aware of how busy life can be, so they adjust their training schedule and requirements accordingly. 

While most of the athletes practice during regular class times, Moser only requires 15 to 30 minutes one time a week for extra meet practices. That means, if athletes want to compete in events, that’s the requirement. When compared to other schools, who require anywhere from two to four nights a week and as many as three hours per practice, it highlights how remarkable Moser accomplishments are. 

“Our families and athletes do a really awesome job with their 15 to 30 minutes of required practices each week,” Moser Payne said. “They know their goals and work to achieve those goals.”

Heading into nationals, that requirement changes slightly, but again, Moser understands the busy modern life and the challenges it presents. Over the course of the four weeks between state and nationals, athletes are required to do five extra meet practices, but times can be rearranged if needed. 

“We also work with all our families…and help each family out. We are very flexible and can double up if they have to miss one or if they have to miss, then they miss,” Moser Payne explained. “It takes a village to raise a child and so many of the extended families make sure they are able to get to their classes each week. They make it work, we make it work and we appreciate everyone.”

On the coaching side, Moser—as evidenced by its 50-year history—is a place that cares about each athlete, as well as their families and success. It’s a place where each athlete receives “love and undivided attention” no matter who they are. 

There’s an attention to detail and progress, and attention to athletes as people and students. 

“We are blessed to have the best families and students. Their support, dedication, hard work and loyalty…we are simply very, very blessed to have such wonderful and caring, hard working families,” said Moser Payne. 

Not to be overlooked are the athletes in the arena, who step out on the floor in front of the judges, crowd and other competitors, along with their family, friends and fellow Moser athletes watching. According to Moser Payne, it’s something that “takes a lot of guts.” Putting themselves in that situation is considered a success in itself, never mind the end results. 

Other measures of success are improvement, even if it’s one step at a time, memorizing routines or simply holding the ending. It’s the simple things that matter most. This progression is something Moser Payne stated is “fun to watch” throughout the season, as athletes improve on the relevant skills needed in competitions and perfect routines. But there’s something else she drew attention to: the life skills imparted through dance and gymnastics. 

Those skills include graciously winning, how to handle mistakes along the way, how to stand up in 10th place and handle defeat and sportsmanship, as athletes cheer on other students, regardless of the colors they wear. 

“Life has many challenges along the way, and if you can handle the small challenges now, you can handle the big ones as adults…They also meet so many new friends…and those friendships end up lasting a lifetime,” Moser Payne said.