sports shorts Cheer places sixth at nationals

Again, they were only three points from being eliminated. However, in the final round of competition, the girls pulled together and scored sixth place with no deductions, a surprising score considering the previous rounds.

The finish at nationals was important after the disappointment with the state finals result. The girls felt they were in a good position to win, but Winter Park placed higher in individual categories: tumbling, towers and crowd components.

“We had practices the day of and the day before. But once we got on the mat, things didn’t go as well as we hoped,” captain Mia Campese said.

With a second place finish at the state championships, the varsity cheer team had to stay focused for the national competition one week later in Orlando. On Feb. 12, they placed sixth against over 100 teams with a score of 92.6, three and half points out of first place in Division 1.

Beginning with the preliminary competition, they scored third in their group with a small deduction of half a point, pushing them forward to the group semifinals. Here, they placed 10th with a two point deduction, almost ending their competition. However, they continued to the overall semifinal round and placed 13th, tying with Mountain Vista High School.

“We put in our best effort, but it wasn’t our best performance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for us to take the title.”

With a goal of improving, the girls performed their routine without any point deductions in the final round at nationals, a step forward from their one point deduction at states. Along with this, they became better teammates leading up to the national competition which allowed them to perform a perfect choreography.

“We’ve improved as a team, and when we’re doing our routines full out, we can see that everybody is trying their hardest for each other and not just themselves,” captain Delaney Geiger said.