|
|
|
|
|
ICTORY! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Katie Pyne
Staff Writer
|
|
As the Chattahoochee varsity competition cheerleading squad took the floor at the
State Finals in the Columbus Civic Center on Saturday, Feb. 8, the crowd exploded into a
roaring and uniform chant of “Hooch! Hooch!” Multitudes of loyal fans traveled to cheer
the girls on to their third State victory, filling the stands with blue and gold.
The crowd was silenced once the music started and the four flys, juniors Jessica
Huffstettler, Melinda Wong, Victoria Vogl and freshman Kelsey Loudy, ascended into
their flawlessly executed scorpion to heel stretch to ram double-downs. Tensions were so high it was completely silent, except for the loud beating of a heart.
This was the moment that every girl on the team had been putting in countless hours of
practice and hard work for the entire season. Last year’s squad did not even earn a spot
to compete at the State Championship and the returning team members did not want to experience that same upset again.
After placing first at the 2003 Regional competition, now was the time for them to show their stuff and live up to their “number one” title.
|
|
|
Photo courtesy of Victoria Vogl
|
|
After winning the title of State Champions 2003, the girls pose with their gold medals and first place trophy.
|
|
Even with all of the unfortunate injuries and numerous changes that were made on this
determined team throughout the season, they still performed a perfect routine without any
touch-downs on tumbling or any falls out of their difficult stunts. “We just came here
wanting to do our best and that’s what we did. I don’t even care what we get in the end,”
remarked senior Meredith Powers. One last minute addition to the routine was a bow and arrow by sophomore Kat Majester, who also threw an impressive round-off full twisting
flip then two back handsprings to a step-out full.
When competing against extremely tough competitors every move was crucial. Two
possible threats were the second and third place finishers, Shiloh and Lee County.
Shiloh was the defending State Champion and Lee County won first place over the
Cougars at the North Georgia Cheer Classic earlier this year.
Chattahoochee’s newest cross-town rival, the Northview Titans, also competed in
Columbus after getting seventh in their division at Sectionals the previous day of State. The first year team ended up placing twelfth overall.
To win the state cheerleading title, the girls not only had to be virtually faultless, but
they had to perform the most innovative, cutting-edge sequences and employ new techniques in their routine.
Coach Caren Hudson commented, “This year’s success can be attributed to the
commitment that we had toward our goal. We just had to keep pushing the envelope until
we achieved the best we could give. With just the right dance moves, just the right music,
stunts that wow the audience, lots of ‘face’ and unbelievable heart, we were able to put the best routine on the floor, better than any other team in the state!”
For the girls who were injured and unable to compete, this victory was bittersweet, but also well earned.
When the Cougars had left the floor, Junior Megan Gregory whole-heartedly said, “I
thought they did awesome. I’m very proud of each and every one of them. Even though I physically wasn’t out on the floor, I was there in heart.”
After taking Columbus by a storm of short skirts, hair spray, ribbons and curls, the
girls couldn’t be happier with their performance. Junior Sarah Ralston stated with
excitement, “I feel like this was the best performance we’ve ever done! I’m happy just knowing that we left nothing out there on the floor. We have no regrets.” |
|
