Scott Swanson
Like all the other high school sports, COVID has impacted Sweet Home’s competitive cheerleaders, who are aiming this Saturday, Feb. ##, for their fourth state title in Coach Amber Rosa’s 12 years at the helm.
“We’ve had too many second places to be comfortable with,” Rosa said last week as her team prepared for their final regular-season competition, where they had their first look at their arch-competitor Gladstone. Thanks to a “technical” flaw, they finished second – for the first time in an otherwise perfect season.
It’s been a “tough” year, said Rosa.
“We’ve been in and out of quarantine, constantly,” she said. “Changing rules – you need to wear masks, you don’t need to wear masks. It’s been exhausting. The kids have struggled. This has been the hardest year that I’ve coached.”
She has 10 varsity team members this year, but the really good news, Rosa said.
The Huskies are led by junior Luca Ogden, who won the All-State competition for single gymnasts in November.
“She has really hit her stride this year,” Rosa said. “When you think she can’t get better, she does.
She is the best cheerleader in the 4A division. We’re lucky to have her.”
Sweet Home has four seniors, including team captain TarahMae Meadors, who didn’t compete in last spring’s COVID-shortened season, but decided to return this year. Also out for cheer are Tayler Clair, Tearanie Kaufmann and transfer Kiera Selby, a home-schooler who previously competed for Central Linn.
Also back is junior Kylie Hayes and Zaylee Egner, another junior who previously competed in dance but has decided to focus on cheer after Sweet Home’s dance program shut down earlier this year.
The Huskies have no sophomores, but they are loaded with talented and experienced freshmen.
“Were a little upside down this year,” Rosa said. “We have a lot of our experience from the freshmen.”
Gracie Vaughn made the all-state team with Ogden, and fellow frosh Peyton Lindsey and Kenadie King, both of whom had “close finishes” in the all-state competition.
“Our three freshmen came up with the club program,” Rosa said. “They do all our throwing. That’s usually not the case. Usually all the skills are in the older kids.”
One new development this year is Sweet Home’s first “competitive” JV team , she said.
“We’ve wanted it for a really long time,” Rosa said. “We have feeder programs, so we have kids coming up who are ready for the varsity, but we have sophomores and juniors and freshmen sitting on the sidelines. We wanted to have them involved.”
This year’s team has 11 members, coached by Lindsey Martin, who competed for Sweet Home (same as Taylor Thorpe) 12 or 13
“The JV program is everything we wanted it to be,” Rosa said. “They’ve learned a ton, which they wouldn’t have otherwise.”
Things have changed in the Cheer world as COVID has depleted the field, she said.
“Teams are struggling,” Rosa said. “The 4A division not as big as it usually is. We have seven teams instead of the normal 15. Teams are having a really hard time getting out this year.”
For instance, Newport, which has had a very competitive program in recent years, lost its coach and is not fielding a cheer team.
“That happens with programs,” Rosa said. ” You can be amazing and then the coach leaves. We’re small communities. There are not a bunch of competitive cheerleaders in small communities.”
Plus, she said, many teams, including Philomath, have gone coed, and are not competing against all-girl teams such as Sweet Home.
“We lost some 4A teams to coed,” Rosa said. “We were concerned we might get combined with the 1-2-3A or the 5A, because we need five teams to have our own division.”
However, going into state this weekend, Rosa knows that one competitor will be ready to go.
“Our main competitor, Gladstone, is alive and well,” she said. “I’m sure it will be that way this year.”