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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Heather Fitch, the team sponsor for Mountain Brook High School’s Dorians, stands with members of the 2022-23 team in the new dance hall at the high school March 7. Fitch is stepping down from her role as team sponsor after 20 years at the end of the school year.
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Photo courtesy of Mandi Cooper.
Dorians coach Courtney Zajic, left, team sponsor Heather Fitch and coach Anna Scofield, pose with the trophy following the performance at nationals.
When Heather Fitch accepted the job to become the Mountain Brook High School Dorians sponsor in 2003, she said she never in a million years thought she would still be serving in the role 20 years later.
Fitch will retire from her sponsorship role at the end of the current school year but will still be at the high school, teaching Spanish and serving as chair of the Department of World Languages for several more years.
Superintendent Dicky Barlow was principal of Mountain Brook High School in 2003 and approached Fitch to gauge her interest in becoming the Dorians sponsor.
She took over the role after previous sponsor Martha Bankston passed away. Fitch described her as “the matriarch of the Dorians since their inception.” There was a time of transition, changing over sponsorship and coaching for a few years, she said.
Even with no dance background, Fitch agreed and said it has been one of the most rewarding experiences in her professional life.
Members of the first team she sponsored would now be in their 30s, and she said she has been part of a lot of full-circle moments.
“I feel I have been able to get to know these girls in a different way and be a small part of their journey,” Fitch said. “I feel like this job has taught me even more about what it means to be a leader in the world and the importance of relationships with people. It’s had its challenges over the years, but it's been amazing. It's bittersweet to let it go, but the timing of it is perfect.”
Fitch’s daughter, who is currently a freshman at the University of Georgia, was a member of the Dorians for three years and served as captain. Her son is now a senior, and she said she has enjoyed being able to see her children play and perform over the years.
“I feel like I've lived a dream getting to be there with my daughter and watch my son on Friday nights,” she said. “But you know when it's time.”
‘More than just a dance team’
Fitch describes the Dorians as more than just a dance team. It’s a group of girls that represent the school and community first by supporting athletics, she said.
“It is truly a family of people who support one another,” she said. They support each other and it is competitive, but they love each other at the end of the day.”
Many of the team members begin dancing in junior high. There is a seventh grade dance team, then the Spartanettes for eighth and ninth graders. Students can try out for the Dorians in the spring of their ninth grade year to become a part of the varsity team. This year’s team has 24 members, many of whom have been on the dance team since seventh grade.
The team begins learning their dance routines for nationals in the summer and also participates in summer band camp. After marching band season is over, they shift gears and start perfecting routines for competition.
The Dorians attend a summer camp every June that is sponsored by the same organization that runs the National Universal Dance Association (UDA). They prepare a routine for the competition at camp to qualify for the nationals.
This year’s Dorians team got to be a part of a storybook ending, when the football team went to the state championship for the first time since 1996, Fitch said.
A reception for Fitch was held during football season, with many of her former Dorians in attendance. They marched in with Fitch at the beginning of the game and were with her on the field.
A strong finish
There was a different vibe to this year’s team and they were hungry, Fitch said. After coming in fifth place at last year’s UDA Nationals in Orlando, the team finished fourth in the nation in December 2022, their highest finish ever.
Cate Cooper, team captain for the Dorians, describes Fitch as an embodiment of the Dorians throughout the years.
“Her leadership and involvement has allowed the program to both advance and to excel on the national level,” Cooper said. “The Dorians is one of the most honored programs at Mountain Brook High School and Mrs. Fitch has been instrumental in making it what it is today. I am forever grateful for this team and what it has given me.”
Cooper’s mom, Mandi, said that Fitch has always been very focused on upholding the longstanding traditions of the Dorians.
“It is a special program to her, and her leadership exemplifies the excellence in which she expects the team to pursue,” Mandi Cooper said. “The legacy of her leadership will last for years to come.”
Kari Kampakis, another Dorians mom, said that Fitch has done a phenomenal job in creating a well-oiled machine that is a crown jewel at MBHS.
Looking ahead
Fitch said when she decided this would be her last year as sponsor, she stayed to help mentor the new sponsor, Caroline Elliott. Also a math teacher at MBHS, Elliott has been sharing the sponsorship role with Fitch this year and will take over upon her retirement.
Courtney Zajic is in her second year as a Dorians coach and Anna Scofield is in her first year coaching. Scofield has previously coached the 7th grade Dance Team at Mountain Brook Junior High and was a member of one of Fitch’s previous teams.
MBHS Principal Phillip Holley said he is grateful for Fitch’s leadership of the program over the last 20 years and is so appreciative of all that she has done over the years.
“She has poured her heart and soul into the program and it has shown in the way the Dorians have performed both locally and nationally,” Holley said. “I am so proud of the way they represent the school and the community. Heather will definitely be missed.”
The wallpaper on Fitch's computer features a photo of the team on the national stage after their fourth-place finish, and she said the joy on their faces says it all.
“I wish I could bottle it all up,” she said. “It's a special program and I feel lucky to have been part of it this long.”
