The first 2021-2022 Athlete of the Week at Elkhorn North High School is Nora Wickless. Nora Wickless is a Senior at Elkhorn North who is the choreographer captain of the Elkhorn North Dance Team. She has been a part of the Dance Team for four years, two years at Elkhorn High and two years at Elkhorn North.  

“Nora has had to fulfill this leadership role two years in a row by herself since she is the only senior,” her teammate, Junior Emma Wambsgans, said. “The team would not be the same without her and I appreciate her and the things she does for the team every single day.” 

Wickless is constantly practicing to make sure that she is fully prepared to be perfect on stage. Her teammates and coach can always count on her being on time and ready to go for practices and performances. She sets the standard very high for her teammates because she wants what is best for the team, which pushes them to work even harder. 

“She is always giving 110% and that allows her to be fully prepared for performances,” Coach Abbie Lamb said. 

Wickless demonstrates many leadership qualities that make her stand out such as her focus, determination, and sense of responsibility. She is always prepared which allows her to support others and makes the team stronger. Wickless has a positive outlook on everything she does, pushes everyone to be the best versions of themselves, is constantly smiling, and makes sure that her teammates feel comfortable.

“All of us dancers definitely do look up to her because her dedication to the team is so visible,” Sophomore, Ava Raridon said. “She’s such an amazing dancer and kind-hearted person.”

One word that many would use to describe Nora Wickless is determined. She puts in all her best efforts even if something is hard and this makes her a talented dancer. Wickless puts on a brave face for her teammates in order for her team to be successful.

“She has lots of grit and strength and is the backbone of the team,” Lamb said.

She is great at making sure everyone is feeling good about what’s happening in practices and is always willing to answer her teammates’ questions about choreography.  

Wickless is always dedicated to being encouraging and supportive of her teammates when they are struggling. “Nora is so good at helping her teammates and one example of that is her reassuring me that she believes in me when I was struggling with some choreography at UDA camp and then when I got done performing she made sure to tell me how proud she was of me,” Raridon said. 

At the end of the day, Nora Wickless is a hardworking dancer who always goes full out no matter what she’s doing. She makes dance practices a safe environment for her teammates to be themselves. Her dedication to her sport and her team doesn’t go unnoticed by her coach, teammates, and peers.