The Elizabeth High School cheer squad made the trip north for Day 2 of the Colorado High School Activities Association's State Spirit Championships in Denver on Dec. 6. The two-day event at the Denver Coliseum drew more than 200 teams from Colorado high schools to compete for the title of state champions in their respective divisions. The categories included cheer, pompon, jazz, co-ed, and hip-hop.
“They have been practicing this routine since August,” said second-year cheerleading coach Katie Rothe just before her squad took to the competition floor. “They're young, but they're going to do a great job. I'm really excited.”
The cheer “red, black,” echoed through the coliseum as the squad's veterans, seniors Jordan Byrd and Alycia Legge, junior Shelby Otte and sophomore Regan Kearns competed alongside four members making their debut at the state championships, sophomores Heather Philis, Kerah Clouse, Nadia Gunn and Megan Gleman.
Despite the team's overall youth, the Cardinals placed 22nd this year out of 35 teams, moving up two spots from last year's 24th-place finish and scoring 68 points out of a possible 100. The competition in 4A was tight with tenths of points determining rankings and five points separating 22nd place from a ninth-place finish. In the finals, Glenwood springs edged out Valor Christian to earn the title of 4A cheer state champions with a total score of 89.125.
Following the performance, a smiling Rothe expressed her satisfaction with the squad's performance. “They definitely did their best,” she said.
CHSSA rules dictate that each squad is scored as a team so that no individual performance can swing the score. In the cheer category, judging is based on components from two areas, the cheer section and the music section.
Judges score the music section based on the difficulty of stunts such as pyramids, tumbling and jumps in addition to the squad's execution of them. The score in the cheer section of the routine is based on the squad's ability to lead the crowd using signs, pompons and/or megaphones.
The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) is the state's governing body for high school sports and activities consisting of 343 public, private and charter schools. CHSAA sponsors championships in 27 sports and events and counts 58 percent of Colorado's high school students as participants in its activities.
