Cheerleaders, Dancers Perform at State Competition
Cheerleaders, Dancers Perform at State Competition
by London Sindelar
Pierce High’s state cheer and dance teams had a long and nerve-racking day on Saturday, February 22, as they competed at the 2014 Nebraska State Cheer and Dance Competition in Grand Island. After having early morning practices for the past six months, both the state cheerleaders and dancers were finally ready to show off their talent to the judges and the rest of the state.
In past years, the divisions had been split up into large and small groups, but this year, a decision was made to combine all groups into one competition, making it more challenging for smaller teams going up against larger groups of up to twenty.
The state cheerleading squad, made up of captain Ali Johnson, London Sindelar, Autumn Baumann, Carly McElhose, Alissa Hoffmann, Hannah Higgins, Paige Spieker, and Caitlyn Skuodas, placed 4th out of 17 teams in the non-tumbling Class C1 division.
The state dance team, made up of captains London Sindelar and Alissa Hoffmann, Maddie Jenkins, Hannah Higgins, Paige Spieker, Tristen Sell, Alexis Behmer, Alexa Douglass, Olivia Steffensen, and Jessica DeGroff, placed in both the Class C1 jazz and pom divisions. The team placed 8th in jazz and 9th in pom.
State cheerleading captain, Ali Johnson, commented “We saw a lot of tough competition, and we knew it was going to be hard going in with only eight girls going up against teams with twenty, but I couldn’t have asked for any better from my squad. We truly went out there and perfected our routine.”
A positive reaction to the competition was also shared by head coach of the dance team, Kristine Muir. Muir said “The girls had their best performance of the year at state. I am proud of all their hard work and dedication throughout the season, considering all the obstacles they had in their way. The team really pushed each other to perform to their best, and it showed.”
