2 minute read
Varsity Cheer: Athletes from Their Bows to Their Toes
LCA HIGHLIGHTS
VARSITY CHEER:
TOP ROW (L–R): Karli Palasota, Ava Levassar, Julia Brown, Kendall Mainer, Trinity Jackson, Campbell Bearden, Audrey Edwards and Avery Williams. MIDDLE ROW: Abigail Arrington, Gracie Gross, Presley Kate Pittard, Lottie Sopp and Carlisle Noble. BOTTOM ROW: Sophie Barber, Sophie Ratkovic, Olivia Ellis
Athletes from Their Bows to Their Toes
LCA Varsity Cheer nabbed fourth place in the TAPPS State Cheer Championship on December 7, in Belton. The Eagles competed against 5A and 6A teams from across the state, and received a “Superior” rating.
It was a banner year for the squad, as it placed higher than ever before and Legacy was the only Division II school to have two athletes — Presley Kate Pittard ’23 and senior Sophie Ratkovic — honored with 1st Team All-State. Karli Palasota ’21 was named 2nd Team All-State and Abigail Arrington ’22 earned Honorable Mention.
We see the squad cheering on our athletes and hyping up the crowd at football and basketball games. But Cheer is much more than shouting sideline chants and dancing to the fight song. Behind the girls’ smiles are hours of grueling work and — make no mistake — Cheer is physically rigorous. In the weeks leading up to the state competition, their training schedule doubles in time and intensity. These girls are all-around athletes, with showmanship and flair to boot. At the state championship, their intense preparation was demonstrated during their 2½-minute performance on the competition floor.
Coach Brooke Levassar commended her squad: “The girls put forth an incredible effort to prepare for the competition, despite some big obstacles that arose along the way. The team as a whole is incredibly skillful, but our success this year is a result of focus and hard work. We put in a lot of extra practice time, and it paid off. Coach Morgan and I are so very proud of this squad and how the girls performed.”
In a typical year, the squad competes in preliminaries on the first day and then moves on to finals the following day. This year, however, due to COVID restrictions, squads competed in prelims in the morning and finals were that same evening. Stunting, tumbling, and hitting each move with confidence in a high-energy performance — with a bright smile — is no easy feat. During the prelim performance, the squad took zero deductions and improved its overall score by five points in the finals.
Dazzling and awesome, these girls can hold their trophy high. LCA! Yell it! LCA!
