Two Powell High School senior cheerleaders were recognized for their efforts and hard work in November, as Lucy Dees and Nyah Johnson were named to the 3A West First Team All-Conference cheer team.

As is tradition with the Panthers, all seniors have the opportunity to try out for honors should they choose.

In the past, only All-State teams were selected for cheerleading, but with a change this year All-Conference teams were added.

The tryout process included the athletes learning a routine, then performing and videoing that routine with another school in attendance.

“We were given the materials in September or October, and we basically had about a month-and-a-half to prepare for it,” Dees said.

With that new process, Johnson spoke about the nerves going into the recording.

“You only get to video it once, and I had to go first, so that was scary,” Johnson said.

The routine itself showcased a number of different skills, including cheer, dance and stunting, which Dees and Johnson felt they excelled at.

While the Panthers excelled in those skills, an additional portion of the tryout included tumbling and jumps which increased the difficulty, as Johnson described them as “very specific, high-level.”

“I’d say we’re pretty proficient in our cheer, stunting and dancing,” Dees said. “I was really nervous because we don’t have the tumbling skills that most girls do even though that only makes up a small portion of your total score. The most comes from cheer, dance and stunting.”

Those videos are then submitted to be judged by each coach in the conference and then each cheerleader being separated onto either first team, second team or honorable mention. Coaches are not allowed to judge their own participants.

Once everything was said and done, both Panther cheerleaders were named to the First Team All-Conference.

“It’s really amazing, especially since it’s only something that seniors get to do (at PHS),” Dees said.

Both athletes have been part of the Panther cheer squad for years, cheering on the teams on the sidelines, and both have learned plenty, continuing to grow each year with the team.

“Cheer, especially in Powell, is such a way to express myself. I have a lot of energy and I don’t show that in any other way because cheer is the only sport I do,” Dees said. “It’s definitely different, because our program is a lot more strict. We have a lot of good coaches that definitely have been doing this for awhile and know how to coach us … Being in this one (program) makes me feel like I don’t think I would cheer anywhere else.”

Cheer isn’t the only sport Johnson takes part in at PHS, as she also shifts into the track program in the spring where she is a thrower, noting how much she has grown in each area while both sports challenge her strength in multiple respects.

“I think cheer teaches you a lot about patience, hard work and not giving up. It’s a lot of effort you put in. I’ve enjoyed every year, because it’s just always eventful … You definitely grow.” Johnson said, noting that after seven months of cheer, the more strength focused track season is a change. “It’s crazy because you do use a lot of strength in track and cheer, but going to track, it’s a completely different switch. But it’s good to get both sides of it.”

Since both Dees and Johnson earned First Team All-Conference honors they have the opportunity to try out for the All-State team, competing against the 3A East’s top cheerleaders to make that team.

That will take place the weekend of state basketball, with cheerleaders learning the routine the day of and performing the routine in person in Casper.

Neither Johnson nor Dees will compete in that as they are both part of the PHS band, which will be taking a trip to Italy when the tryout occurs.

“We’ll be in Italy, so it’s a trade off,” Dees said. “It’s definitely kind of a bummer, because I think we could both make it into All-State.”

Despite not getting the chance to make the All-State team, the Panthers will have an opportunity to make a name for themselves this week, as the WHSAA State Spirit competition is in Casper at the Ford Wyoming Center on Friday.

Both the Panther cheer and dance teams will be participating, as Dees and Johnson believe they have a shot at a state title this week.

“Last year our base score was first, but with some deductions that we had, it brought us down to third. But we fixed those this year, and we plan to do even better,” Dees said.

In a change from last year the Panthers will not focus on Co-Ed, with Johnson believing focusing on one routine will help them take the top prize this time around.

“We only have to do Game Day this year … so it’s allowing us to really focus on this one routine,” Johnson said. “I think it’s giving us a better opportunity to go for first at state for sure.”

The PHS dance team will perform their Jazz dance routine at 1 p.m. followed by Hip-Hop at 3:32 p.m. and the Game Day cheer routine will be at 5:50 p.m.

Outside of competition, the duo along with the entire Panther cheer squad will continue to cheer on the Panthers throughout the basketball season.

“I enjoy it,” Dees said. “Especially this year as seniors. This is our last chance to support our school.”