The varsity cheer team went to state on October 5 in an attempt to shine on the mats and show the judges, along with spectators from all over Missouri, exactly what the Eagles are made of.

  “We have been practicing daily since last Spring, including summer practices,” Junior Claire Rose said.

The work put in right before the state competition is key to a good score in competition.

“These practices are usually pretty hard because we just practice our routine full out like we would at competition over, and over, and over, and over. The point of this is so we can clean up our performance and fix any spacing issues we are having. Unfortunately during one of our last practices before State, we had to change quite a few things in our routine, including stunts, because of injuries,” Rose said.

The changes were made and the team gathered on the busses headed to state.

“The excitement at State Cheer competition is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. The air is raw and palpable with nerves, hope, expectations, and extremely high energy. We also have a strong fan base of parents, friends, family, and the Freshmen and JV cheer teams that are there to cheer us on,” Rose said, regarding the atmosphere at the competition.

  Having support was important when taking into account the fierce competition.

   “The teams that we compete against at state are very difficult. Almost every squad has all squad tumbling which is something we are working towards as a team. They are also very sharp. Our girls are one of the sharpest teams to compete. I was so proud of all the hard work the ladies put into this routine. We have been working steadily since June. They had to overcome many injuries this season,” Varsity Coach Courtney Whited said.

   Despite the outcome, the girls enjoyed the competition.
“The excitement was uncanning, because even though our varsity cheer girls placed 6th, we were able to witness the opposing high school, Liberty, place 1st for the 6th time,” Sophomore and Junior Varsity cheerleader Holly Haines said.