http://my.hsj.org http://my.hsj.org en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Fri, 24 May 2013 14:31:53 GMT 15 By Neal Lerner
The University of Maryland’s Comcast Center hosted the High School and All-Star Cheerleading Championship on Feb. 7, where the Wootton cheerleaders placed second among five teams. The Patriots missed first place by a mere two points, getting edged out by Wise High School from Upper Marlboro, Md. “I thought it was a great end result. I didn’t know what the other teams would look like, and I knew we didn’t have the most difficult routine, but it was performed to perfection,” head coach Kristen Daugherity said. “The program is growing, and this competition was a tremendous accomplishment.” Daugherity, with help from the captains, choreographed the routines. Meanwhile, junior captain Savannah Yokley compiled the music for the routine. “We call her DJ Savannah,” junior captain Lissy Warrick said. Opening with the song “Morris Brown” by Outkast, the cheerleaders were the only high school team with pom-pons and started with their signature “W-H-S” cheer. Senior Vanessa Dickerson tumbled all around the floor with flawless layouts. Dickerson is considering attending Purdue University or the University of Arizona for cheerleading. “As excited as I am to cheer in college, I am very sad to leave this team especially after the progress we have made,” Dickerson said. Daugherity believes that Dickerson will be very successful cheering in college. Daugherity herself cheered for the University of Maryland before moving on to cheer for the Baltimore Ravens for three years, making captain for both teams. Daugherity’s experience and expertise has helped her improve the squad very quickly. One major change was the elimination of junior varsity cheerleading. Daugherity wanted to have 28 varsity cheerleaders to gear the team up for a tougher division. The large team was ready for all obstacles in their way--including injuries. Senior Lindsey Binder sprained her elbow while tumbling three days before the competition, but she remarkably still competed, arm in sling. Her dedication helped motivate the squad. The Patriots performed a double star pyramid as well as several other formations without any slips or falls, while a number of other squads took tumbles as a result of the pressure. “I’m extremely proud of the team,” junior captain Amanda Benjamin said. “We had an amazing performance and everyone worked hard together.” The crowd was filled mostly with parents due to both the venue’s distance as well as the expensive ticket prices, but the atmosphere was far from calm. The trophies seemed to overshadow the competition floor, and nerves were flying as high as the flyers themselves, causing several teams to slip up. Wootton’s cheerleaders did not let the nerves get to them though; no one fell or stumbled throughout the entire routine. ]]> Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:41:58 GMT