Sweet Home’s cheer squad placed first at a competition held at Lebanon High School Saturday, Jan. 5.
Two 4A varsity teams competed, with Sweet Home finishing ahead of Sisters.
The Sweet Home youth team finished first among four teams. The high school junior varsity was first in a field of two that included South Salem High School.
The junior high team finished second among five teams behind Lebanon.
The teams were “really good,” said Head Coach Amber Rosa. “Our varsity team had the highest score of the competition. Our youth team beat second place by 30 points.”
It was the first time the junior high team did its full routine this season, Rosa said. “They did a really good job also.”
Rosa is optimistic as the varsity season gets under way.
“We’ve got some big goals each week to make it where we want to be,” Rosa said. “They crushed it.”
The varsity team updated its routine after its first public appearance last month when it recorded a video audition of a routine to meet the standards of a national competition scheduled for Feb. 22-23 in Anaheim, Calif.
The team qualified for the national competition. Rosa said she received the score sheets back, and they look promising.
The girls changed the routine back last week to fit Oregon score sheets, Rosa said. From here, the difficulty will continue to increase, preparing the girls for the state competition.
During the competition, the Huskies had one stunt fall, Rosa said. It was one of the team’s strongest stunts, and she considers it a fluke.
“They’ve got themselves set up in a really good spot right now,” Rosa said.
It won’t be an easy road, but the Huskies are moving on a steady climb, she said.
Saturday’s lineup included seniors Nicole Grady, Hailey Wolfe and Aliya Boss; juniors Courtnie Woodard, Hailey Miller, Leaha McQueary, Mariah Harrington, McKenzie Wolfe, Shelby Goodwin and Taylor Goodwin; sophomores Charisma Hardee and Kelly Ogden; and freshman Ava Royer. Kiersten Cockrell, a junior varsity alternate, filled in for freshman Megan Glover.
The team competes next at South Albany on Saturday. They travel to Newberg on Jan. 19; West Linn, Jan. 20; Clackamas, Jan. 26; the Oregon Elite Competition at the State Fairgrounds in Salem, Feb. 2; and the state competition at the Memorial Coliseum, Feb. 9.