FAIRMONT — The Fairmont Cardinals scored a 22 in the New Ulm Sonics’ dance competition on Saturday in New Ulm.

The Cardinals competed in the jazz division.

The Sonics posted final score of 58 to capture first place out of six teams. Renville County West took runnerup honors with 49 points, and New Ulm marked a third-place total of 52.

The 18-member Cardinals team performed to “Pump It Up” by The Black Eyed Peas.

“I thought it went well. The girls did an amazing job,” Cardinals assistant coach Lisa Carlson said. “Having not been before, we learned a lot.”

In addition to the jazz division, competitions also feature a high kick division. Much like other sports, there are varsity and junior varsity teams. The jazz division performs first, starting with the junior varsity teams.

With Fairmont just getting started this year, it only had a varsity team participate on Saturday.

Each team is given a five-minute mark time, or practice time, upon arrival before the official performance. The music used during performances as well as the uniforms must be approved by the school’s athletic director.

Uniforms are a vital component for teams. Every dancer must wear the same makeup, hairstyle and shoes.

“We had to go out and buy everyone the same pair of shoes,” Carlson said.

Nail polish and jewelry are not allowed, and outfits can’t have an open or keyhole back, allowing for a “more modest appearance.”

When it comes to the actual performance, routines are given a 2-minute, 32-second time limit and could result in points deducted from the overall score if a team goes over. Coaches generally choreograph the routines, however the Minnesota State High School League encourages dancers to chip in their choreography as well.

Between four and five judges grade each routine based on four main categories, making dance a more subjective sport.

The categories are jazz skills, execution, choreography and difficulty. Within those categories are various elements, which include, but not limited to, difficulty of skill, degree of accuracy, visual effectiveness and creativity, practicality of content and routine effectiveness. Each element is graded on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the lowest score and 10 being the highest. As a result, a perfect routine would garner a 100.

The Cardinals now have a taste of what it’s like to compete as a dance team and look ahead to Dec. 17 when the team travels to Waconia.

“We’re going to add (different) elements and more difficulty to the routine to give it a little more pop,” Carlson said.

Before the competition in Waconia, the Fairmont dancers will get to practice in front of their hometown audience. The Cardinals dance team is set to perform during halftime at the Cardinals’ boys basketball game on Friday and the girls basketball game on Dec. 16.

Friday’s performance will be a regular routine and the performance a week later will be a Christmas-themed routine.