Panther cheerleaders place 10th at state

Posted 3/15/18

“They did great,” said PHS head cheer coach Vicki Walsh. “They went out and performed so well — the best that I had seen them do it all year.”

The Lady Panther cheerleaders placed 10th in the cheer non-stunt routine and seventh in the …

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Panther cheerleaders place 10th at state

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After seven months of helping to fire up the Panther faithful, the Powell High School cheer team wrapped up its season at the 3A State Spirit Competition last week.

“They did great,” said PHS head cheer coach Vicki Walsh. “They went out and performed so well — the best that I had seen them do it all year.”

The Lady Panther cheerleaders placed 10th in the cheer non-stunt routine and seventh in the All Girl Cheer routine.

That followed a second-place showing at a new cheer competition in Cody last month, where the Powell cheerleaders placed second out of seven teams.

“I don’t think people realize how tough it is,” Walsh said of the sport of cheerleading.

The season starts in the middle of August and goes through the middle of March. In those seven months, the cheerleaders must memorize 45-50 different cheers.

Some are sport-specific, such as for football, while some are general.

Within these cheers, there are five to six different jumps as well as arm motions.

“There’s a lot of stuff that they have to try to learn,” Walsh said.

On top of the individual cheers, there is stunting, tumbling and five to six dance routines outside of the competition routine. The competition routine is two and half minutes long.

“It’s not just being out there and clapping for your team,” Walsh said. “There’s a lot more to it.”

But clapping for your team is also an integral part of being a cheerleader.

“The girls are very passionate about wanting to be there and cheering for their teams,” Walsh said.

It’s the cheerleaders’ job to get and keep the crowd engaged in the game, she said, as it takes someone to initiate that cheering. One example is starting a “PHS is the Best” cheer during timeouts. Throughout the year, assemblies are held with the student body where new cheers and the school song are taught.

Since cheerleading is the longest sports season, team members must be dedicated.

“It takes a lot of time, a lot of dedication,” Walsh said. “You have to be committed and sometimes that’s the hardest part — is the commitment.”

During Homecoming Week, the cheerleaders also try to make it to all home events, when there are seven sports teams competing.

Walsh said the members of this year’s cheerleading team “were great.”

“When you’re together for that long of time frame, you can get sick of one another,” she said, but her squad “worked really well together. They worked hard, were dedicated. Just a fun group.”

Throughout the year, those on the cheer squad were: sophomores Kaitlyn Decker, Brilee Keeler, Kailey Jurado, Kalli Ashby, Tenna Desjarlais, Luci Abarca and Hannah Kitchens; juniors Alyssa Gould, McKennah Buck, Cierra Bridges, McKenzie Thompson and Bella Cameron; and seniors Addie Miller and Mariah Phister.

“I really, really enjoyed this group,” Walsh said.

For the future, the coach said she feels that she has a “pretty good base.”

Tryouts will take place in the first part of April for the 2018-19 school year.

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