CHS COMPETITION CHEER TEAM MEMBERS TURN UP THE SPIRIT DURING THE OPENING CHEER OF THE ROUTINE THEY PERFORMED DURING THE SHELDON INVITATIONAL LAST SATURDAY. Photo Provided/ Tony Bowling
Competing in the 3A/2A/1A All-Girls Division, Creswell High School’s competition cheer team turned in a strong performance during the Sheldon Invitational on Jan. 26 and has qualified for state, despite placing eighth of 10 teams at Sheldon.
”We were down a team member due to injury, so we had to modify some of our routine – especially our stunts,” noted Creswell Head Coach Christine Bandey.
With those necessary modifications, the team’s first two stunts did not stay up. ”But the team overcame the disappointment with confidence, nailing our pyramid in the middle section that they had just learned that morning – and it included a tuck (flip) while in the air,” Bandey said, adding that the team ”then finished strong, with a great performance of their dance.”
Experience is key in any sport, and this year’s CHS cheer team is relatively young, ”with a couple of team members who had never competed before,” Bandey noted, which makes their ability to overcome some last-minute challenges to turn in a solid routine at Sheldon even more impressive.
”Us coaches were extremely proud of the team’s performance because it was their best yet this season,” Bandey said. ”Their confidence has improved and their reactions to their performance were gleaming with excitement. That’s what makes us want to coach!”
To qualify for state, a team must perform a full routine during two or more OSAA-sanctioned cheer competitions. With three competitions under their belts, the CHS squad looks forward to showcasing the experience, confidence and skill gained this season during the OSAA 3A/2A/1A State Cheerleading Championships on Feb. 9 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
”Several cheerleading articles have named our division as the most competitive in years,” Bandey said. ”There are some extremely amazing teams we are up against, so we just try to beat our own scores every week and take those as wins.”
