Fancy Free Cloggers Bring Home Multiple First-Place Honors From Gatlinburg Competition

Eliza Marshall and her daughter Madison were among three duo pairs from the Fancy Free Cloggers to place in the top three at the Encore Clogging Competition in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, as the Adams County troupe collected three first-place titles, one second-place finish, and the Overall Young Adult precision banner across the March 13-14 event.

The mother-daughter pair was joined by two other Fancy Free duos on the podium: Harley Courtney and Alexis Marshall, and Myla Olds-Stewart and Madison Marshall, each placing in their respective divisions. The precision banner, awarded for team synchronization, capped a competition that showcased the depth of a squad that traveled to one of regional clogging's most competitive venues.

The full 11-member roster included Beth Olds, Veronica Hayslip, Evie Poe, Alexis Marshall and Eliza Marshall in the front row, with Bob Johnson, Molly Fields, Harley Courtney, Melinda Stroup, Myla Olds-Stewart and Colton Meade across the back row.

Fancy Free is a fixture in Adams County's community calendar, performing at county fairs, parades and local fundraisers in West Union, Seaman, Manchester and Peebles. That local presence gives the group's competitive results an added weight: placements at Gatlinburg translate directly into visibility for a form of performance art that remains deeply embedded in the region's Appalachian traditions.

For a rural troupe that funds travel and competition costs largely through community support, three first-place finishes in a single weekend also signal the kind of sustained preparation that keeps the group competitive on the regional circuit year after year.