Sweet Home’s competition cheer squad won the OSAA 4A state championship Saturday, Feb. 14, in decisive fashion, finishing the competition at Oregon City High School with a nine-point lead over two-time defending champion Newport.
Sweet Home finished with top scores in every category – overall, building and tumbling and jumps, though the Huskies took a two-point reduction for a safety violation.
Nonetheless, they outscored second-place Newport 89.80-80.50, with Cascade (66.60), Estacadea (64.20), Stayton (58.30) and Cottage Grove (50.60) rounding out the finishers in the 4A Traditional competition.
It was the Huskies’ first state title since 2016, despite finishing second five years in a row.
“Every year,” said Coach Amber Rosa, clearly enjoying the end of the streak.
One difference this year, said Rosa, who is in her 16th season with the Huskies, was that her team was healthy.
Last year, she said, they performed in a national competition the week before OSAA state and most of her athletes were sick for the Oregon state championships, some competing with “high fevers,” she said.
One year they missed the title by two-tenths of a point.
Another year, Rosa recalled, one of their stunts was ruled illegal at the last minute, which cost them 10 points – after they had competed seven times earlier in the season using that component in their program.
This year’s team is benefiting from some athletes who have had gymnastics training.
That has allowed them to “really push hard” to use more difficult tumbling skills and stunts.
“This is the first time ever we’ve been ever been able to hit higher tumbling range stunts,” Rosa said, adding that six of her girls are capable of doing spring tucks – in which a powerful, high-rebound back handspring is immediately followed by a tucked backflip.
“This group is really hard-working,” she said. “They’re doing whatever it takes and that makes a big difference. We’re stunting and jumping in the highest range possible.”
The Huskies’ roster is young, composed of seniors Katriona Harris and Natalie Conn, juniors Ember Ogden and Hannah Sieminski, with sophomores Grace Gardner, Ava Padua, Emmalin Rosa and Taylee Rosa, and freshmen Aira Erspamer, Elizabeth Hankins and Addison Lynn, rounding out the group. In addition to Amber Rosa, coaches are Taylor (Thorpe) Bach, Dar Hummer and Lindsey Martin.
“The credit has to go to the kids. This group is as good as they are because they have all grown up in our club program and have been putting in the work for years before they ever hit high school. They are an extremely talented and driven group.
It all came to fruition on Saturday.
The Huskies, she said, “hit their routine really well,” and despite a “minor” bobble on one stunt, which cost them a point – their other deduction was for going a second too long, they delivered.
“I think there was a little bit of disbelief for a second,” Rosa said, when her team actually realized they had won.
“We were so close to winning, so many times. When we beat our rivals, Newport, it was awesome. They were super excited.”
The USA Spirit Nationals is next, this weekend in Anaheim, Calif.
The Huskies, she said, have qualified seven different routines for the competition, which also includes opportunities to connect with college programs.
The competition will include hundreds of high school teams from around the nation, she said.
“We’ll have 38 teams in our show cheer division and 26 in our crowd division,” she said. Sweet Home has qualified for seven competitions.