SDA Cheerleaders place 3rd at State Cheer
On February 18, the Syracuse cheerleading squad competed at the NCA Nebraska State Cheer and Dance Championship in Grand Island, NE. The squad competed in the Non-Tumbling division for the third year in a row, where they were required to perform both a cheer and a dance. This year, the squad placed third out of 14 teams, improving their overall score by 12.2 points from last year. This made them the most improved team in the entire division. Additionally, the squad competed in the Sideline Cheer division for the first time, and out of 9 teams, they placed third here as well.
With two years of prior state competition experience under their belt, the squad worked hard to increase the difficulty and rigor of their routine this year by incorporating 12 jumps in addition to more intensive and demanding choreography. Three judges scored the routines, and the squad received high marks in various categories, including crowd leading ability, skill incorporation, jumps, and dance. The routine was completely self-designed and choreographed, with Coach Ashley Anderson and seniors Ariel Prater, Gabrielle Williams, Chloe Moore, Anna Kastens, and junior Brooke Bennett contributing to cheer choreography. Prater, Williams, and Coach Anderson were joined by junior Brianna Barrett and sophomores Brynn Krieger and Layni Nannen when it came to working on dance choreography.
Seniors Morgan Leefers and Alyssa Rippe, juniors Laura Buck and Matteo Antunez, sophomores Madison Mueller and Aprille Johnson, and freshman Nicole Stubbendick rounded out the squad competing at State. The entire cheerleading squad would like to thank all the Rocket fans who showed support for the squad’s efforts at various athletic events throughout the year. A special thanks goes out to those who traveled all the way out to Grand Island to see them compete for their third year at State.
Way to go, Rocket Cheer!