Two Sweet Home High School cheerleaders earned spots on the all-state team Saturday afternoon at a competition held at Thurston High School in Springfield.
Freshman Ava Royer placed ninth among 27, scoring 83.2 points in the Oregon Cheerleading Coaches Association All-State competition in the 4A division, and junior Shelby Goodwin placed 10th, scoring 82.9 points.
The top 10 finishers are considered all-state in cheerleading. They perform in an exhibition at the Oregon School Activities Association state competition in February.
“They did really well,” said Coach Amber Rosa. “I felt like all of the individuals competed really well. Our individuals did as well as I would’ve expected them to.”
Also competing were senior Nicole Grady, placing 16th, and junior McKenzie Wolfe, placing 18th.
A Sweet Home stunt group placed fifth in the 1A-4A all-girl group stunt category. Members of the group were Grady, Wolfe, junior Pippi Somatis, junior Hailey Miller and junior Taylor Goodwin.
“They hit perfect,” Rosa said. “Their team did as well as they possibly could have.”
The team had an injury, with one member dropping out, Rosa said. The group had to simplify its routine, scoring fewer points than it could have.
Going into the competition, Rosa said, the other two teams were hitting perfectly all week but had problems with their routines at the competition.
“It just wasn’t a testament to what they could do,” Rosa said, adding that it was a difficult day, but it also was a learning experience.
The other two groups included Royer, Riley Vasfaret, Shelby Goodwin, Aliya Boss and Charisma Hardee in one group and Kelly Ogden, Courtnie Woodard, Hailey Wolfe, Mariah Harrington and Leaha McQueary in the second.
Coming up, the Huskies will host their first local cheer competition at 9 a.m. on Dec. 15 in the main gym at the high school, kicking off the competition season a little early this year.
Rosa is hoping to use the event to raise funds for the program, she said. The state also has several well-run events and several that are not as well-run each season. She is hoping to add another well-run event to the schedule.
Feb. 22-23, the team will compete in a nationals event in Anaheim, Calif.
“This is the nationals that pretty much 90 percent of high school teams from Oregon go to,” Rosa said. The event is the USA Spirit Nationals by the Varsity Corporation.
Rosa has been hoping to take a team to nationals for a couple of years.
“This is the first team I’ve had (in that timeframe) that’s been as motivated as I am,” she said. These activities mean a longer schedule for the cheer team this year, beginning with fund-raising events; a local cheer competition; and a long regular season that includes competitions every weekend in January, with an extra one on one of the weekends and all but one weekend in February.
The program is much larger this year, Rosa said. She is adding a junior varsity competition team for the first time. Among the four competition teams, including youth, junior, junior varsity and varsity, the program has 90 girls kindergarten through high school.
The varsity team is holding fund-raising events to help pay for its trip to nationals.
The next one is a can drive. Cans and bottles may be dropped off between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in front of Sweet Home High School, 1641 Long St.
Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, the Huskies will run concessions at the Holiday Boutique to be held at Community Chapel.
They are in the planning stages for a winter cheerleading clinic, Rosa said, but that date isn’t set yet. Other fund-raising events are planned, and the team is beginning to look for sponsors.
Anyone interested in being a sponsor may contact Rosa at (541) 401-2347.