Who are the Candy Canes ? 

When you think of the Candy Canes here at New Castle you might think of a team? A team that’s mostly known for their high kicks? Maybe you think of a piece of candy you get on Christmas? Or just a team that performs for their school. Well, Candy Canes is the New Castle high school varsity dance line. The Candy Canes have been New Castle’s dance line for 50 years. The 50th anniversary was just honored at last week’s football game. The dance line performs at every high school game, every Friday. Grades 8th-12th can try out for the Candy Canes.

The two main coaches for the Candy Canes are Danielle Ashley. Coach Chelsey helps with some of the choreography. The Candy Canes also dance at basketball games and will be there this basketball season. The dance team is a great team overall. They have great coaches, great teammates, and great choreography every year. Go check out the New Castle high school candy canes varsity dance line this football season every Friday night! You don’t want to miss them! 

The 2022-2023 Candy Canes 

Ava Minenok 

Amore Lyles 

Mia Lyles 

Aaryn Chandler 

Alexis Burnett

Amira Johnson

Erica Montgomery 

Brooke Maslyk

Kamryn Klik 

Kloi Booker

Olivia Caminiti 

Haily Sachetti 

Madison Saylor 

Isabella Presnar 

Danika Wagner 

Charlotte Currie 

Anna Reider 

Morgan Frye 

Keyarah Davis

Layla Ott

Rylei Clark 

Jenalyn Nero 

Kaitlyn Houk

Julia Scott 

Alina Carson 

Ameris Rogers 

Juliana Valenti 

I interviewed a couple of members from the Candy Canes. With questions asking about their experience in candy canes. 

Ava Minenok-Sophomore 

What made you want to be a Candy Cane? 

Ever since I was little I always looked up to and wanted to be one of the sparkly girls on the field! My mom and aunt were both Candy Canes. So that made me want to give it a shot. 

What do you like most about Candy Canes?

I love being able to perform with some of my best friends every Friday! There’s no better feeling! 

What do you look forward to this season? 

For sure being able to dance under the lights and have fun watching the games!

Alina Carson-Freshman

What made you want to be a Candy Cane?

I wanted to be a Candy Cane because I wanted to do something for the school.

What do you like most about Candy Canes? 

What I like most is that I can dance on the field.

What do you look forward to this season?

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in the stands and becoming my best. 

Morgan Frye-Freshman 

What made you want to be a Candy Cane?

I always wanted to dance. I wanted to be the first one in my family to be a Candy Cane, and to dance on the field with the people I love!

What do you like most about Candy Canes?

What I like most about Candy Canes is the feeling before I dance. Dancing under the lights and most of all making new friends.

What do you look forward to this season?

What I look forward to this year is going on the bus with my team, sharing memories, and creating new ones. 

Julia Scott-Freshman

What made you want to be a Candy Cane?

I always admired the Candy Canes and their sparkly uniforms. Since I did dance line when I was younger I wanted to continue that experience. 

What do you like most about Candy Canes?

Having amazing teammates and dancing under the Friday night lights. 

What do you look forward to this season?

Cheering for our team every Friday.

Kaitlyn Houk-Freshman 

What made you want to be a Candy Cane?

The beauty presented on the field when the Candy Canes were performing was very eye-catching. It made me want to perform on the field with them. I also wanted to continue my years of dancing. 

What do you like most about Candy Canes?

I like the feeling after performing when you know you gave your all into the dances. The people on the team also made it great.

What do you look forward to this season?

I’m looking forward to traveling to different schools. 

Jenalyn Nero-Freshman 

What made you want to be a Candy Cane?

 What made me want to be a Candy Cane was how I always danced. I started dancing when I was 2 years old. Then I continued until covid so after a while, I wanted to get back into dancing. So I decided to try out for the Candy Canes. 

What do you like most about Candy Canes?

I love how much the girls include everyone. 

What do you look forward to this season?

I look forward to performing all of our dances at halftime and receiving compliments after. 

Amore Lyles-Senior 

What made you want to be a Candy Cane?

I joined Candy Canes because I always watched my sister on the field and wanted to be part of it.

What do you like most about Candy Canes?

I love dancing under the Friday night lights and feeling like I’m entertaining the crowd.  I like hearing the crowd cheer once we start kicking and that feeling of adrenaline. 

What do you look forward to this season?

I look forward to spending more time with the team and showing off all the hard work we put in during the summer. 

Madison Saylor-Junior 

What made you want to be a Candy Cane?

Originally I never had a desire to be a Candy Cane as I wanted to stay in the marching band. But with the percussion of my friends and mother, I tried out.

What do you like most about Candy Canes?

I personally love marching out for pregame and how the crowd cheers like crazy when we start kicking. 

What do you look forward to this season?

The best thing in the season is band fest which I am looking forward to because all the other bands are there and they all understand the amount of work halftime requires. 

The Candy Canes participate in a lot of parades, they travel, and do a lot of activities for New Castle High School. You can come watch and support the Candy Canes every Friday for this football season. Go Canes!