On April 21, 2023, the new Hi-Stepper officer line, along with the 2023-2024 captain, was announced at the city park. The tryouts were a three-week process, but it all came down to the performance and interview in front of the guest judges. The Hi-Steppers welcomed three new junior officers: Bailey Alford, Kyleigh Lewis, and Gracelyn Nash. There are three returning senior officers: Journee Moore, Andrea Torres, and Captain Abby Weaver. Making 6 officers in total, the girls were handed over the batons by former Captain Maddi Grace Riley, and then they performed the strut for the first time with the 2023-2024 team cheering them on in the background.

“The moment I realized I would be captain, I was thinking about how all of my hard work paid off and that now I get to lead the Kilgore Hi-Steppers in the best possible way,” Captain Abby Weaver said. “I felt excited, hopeful, but also sad for my friends that didn’t get captain.”

Weaver is also on the senior competition team at her studio, Elite Dance, along with 4 other officers. She helps out with younger girls’ classes and was the assistant for the youngest competition team this past season. She is strong in her faith and passionate about Jesus, with many goals for the new year’s team and officer line. 

“My main goal is to push every Hi-Stepper to do their absolute best, create a faith-oriented environment, and to be a role model for everyone around me,” Weaver said.

In the future, Weaver plans on trying out for the Kilgore College Rangerettes the summer after she graduates and attending Kilgore College. 

“I have wanted to be Captain since freshman year,” Weaver said. “Seeing all of the past captains and all of the captains I’ve had through high school have shown me how much being captain is a passion of mine.”

Officer tryouts are a long process, with a lot of steps and responsibilities that go into it. For a junior officer trying out for captain, it’s even more challenging. There are more questions in the interviews, and deeper questions for the website, and you have to go the extra mile to show that you can lead the team in the best way possible.

“I practiced every chance I got, and I sat down with God to figure out the path he had for me. I put my whole heart into everything I did,” Weaver said. 

On Thursday, June 1, 2023, the 6 lieutenants, assistant director Christie Carter, and new Hi-Stepper director Laycen Watson will leave to attend the annual officer camp in Frisco, Texas, hosted by Encore Creative Productions. They will stay until June 4. They head to camp with a dance prepared and polished, learn new dances by different choreographers, take team-building classes, and perform a prepared skit for a talent show against all of the other officer lines. They will take a jazz and lyrical costume because they will perform on the very last day for parents and everyone who attended camp that week.

“I am so excited to bond with other officers and to figure out a way we can work together,” Weaver said. “I am excited for the relationships with the new officers and all of the adventures we will encounter. I’m ready to spend time with all of them and to just have a lot of fun”.