The Sweet Home High School cheerleaders are already looking strong as their season gets under way.
They defeated rival Klamath Union at Sherwood in their opening competition on Jan. 4.
“We have really solid stunting,” said Coach Amber Rosa. “And we’re always solid in our dance. We lost a lot of tumbling last year.”
But the younger teammates are filling in that gap very well, Rosa said. The team is solid together and as individuals.
“All of our kids are contributing equally,” Rosa said. They’re well-rounded and talented.
Last year, the team struggled with health issues all season long, Rosa said. They faced pneumonia, broken bones and colds. Their routine changed every week, and they didn’t do well in competitions until state.
The Jan. 4 competition was just with Klamath Union at Sherwood on Jan. 4, Rosa said, but that’s the team the Huskies will have to worry about most.
Klamath Union finished second at state behind Sweet Home last year. The Huskies also need to keep an eye on South Umpqua, which finished third last year.
Sweet Home is looking for its third championship this year. In 2012, the Huskies finished ahead of South Umpqua, with Brookings Harbor third.
This is Rosa’s fourth year coaching the Huskies and the first year she is the only high school coach her team has had. They all know the program and what to expect. They know their routines, and this is the first time they’ve been ready early enough to participate in the Sherwood competition.
“Our routine is by far my favorite and the hardest we’ve ever done,” Rosa said. It includes new extended pullups, connected triple jumps and team kick pulls – a kick and spin down from a basket toss.
“The choreography is super hard,” Rosa said. “The dance is super fast.”
The theme is “Zombies,” and the cheer is about the Zombie Apocalypse.
“My husband’s a huge zombie fan,” Rosa said. “It’s such a pop culture thing right now.”
She approached the team’s choreographer, Suzi Stavas, with the idea, Rosa said. Stavas wasn’t too excited about it, but her co-choreographer and daughter, Memmo Stavas, is a zombie fan too, so the stage was set.
The routine incorporates five zombie songs and a group of cheerleaders who become zombies all of the sudden, Rosa said. Their cheer is “Fear the Huskies,” and they end with zombie crawling and twitching.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Rosa said. “I think it’ll be a good year for them.”
The team has experience that includes several all-state cheerleaders. The competition team includes seniors Kaelee Almy, Christina Jenkins, Kalynn Hagle, Sadie Gordon, Autumn Martin, Kaitlyn Watts and Airel Volkers; juniors Caitlyn Spencer, Kenzie Curtis, Samantha McMahand, Adriana Perez, Alex Olin, Natalie Thorpe and Mikayla Crompton; sophomore Dakota Garcia; and freshmen Ilima Kaauwai-Walker, Erin Bauer, Mailei Kamui and Ivy Weidner.
Freshman Shania Baxter and senior Hannah Mather join the competitors as basketball cheerleaders this season.
Crompton was second and Thorpe fifth in all-state competition this year. Olin didn’t place, but she made the all-state team.
A team of five girls placed first in stunting, Rosa said. It’s the first time in her four years coaching that she has had a group win all-state honors. That team included Olin, Watts, Perez, Martin and Almy.
The Huskies travel to Springfield High School Saturday and then compete every other week until state, Feb. 15-16 in Portland.