Mexico High School Varsity Cheerleaders are fired up for the state competitions, scheduled in November.
Earlier this year, the squad captured a first-place win at the Northeast Regional Cheerleading Competition held on the Moberly Area Community College campus. Winning the regionals qualifies them to advance to state competitions, where they will be challenged by squads in the large varsity division. The state championship is set for Nov. 19-20 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia.
The team has had continuous success on the regional level, always taking first. State competitions, according to coach Susan Gheens, are more difficult because they are competing against larger schools from across the state, not just the schools in their region. The large squads, Gheens said, can make bigger pyramids to increase their score, while the smaller squads tend to focus more on jumps. In 2009, MHS took fifth-place state honors.
This year, the MHS squad is made up of 15 people, including the mascot – making them one of the smallest teams in the state division.
"I'd love for them to win state, but it's going to be tough with top competition," Gheens noted. "Size can sometimes limit what stunts they can do.
"If they do make it, it means they worked extremely hard ... it's an extremely difficult competition."
In addition to cheering for this season's football team, the squad practices two times a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, trying to perfect their routines as much as possible. They intend to perform the same routine that won them regional recognition. Last week, they were working on pyramids and tosses.
Squad Captain Courtney Baker – the only senior on the team – was part of last year's team, but didn't get to compete due to injuries. This year's competition, she said, is her last chance for a first-place state win.
"It's really kind of bittersweet; I'm really sad because this will be the last time for me, but I'm excited too, because we have a really good squad this year," Baker said. Most of the choreography in MHS's routines are done by Baker, who sports a 10-year cheering record. The really tough schools to beat, she said, are Sikeston and Grain Valley, the two schools that traditionally win the state competitions.
The state cheerleading competitions are sponsored by the Missouri Cheerleading Coach-es Association, and offer opportunities for cheerleaders to be sighted by college scouts, and to showcase their skills.
Coach Gheens says she's amazed at how motivated this year's girls are about the squad. There were several returning from last year, a large number of freshmen, and several that came up from the JV squad. This is the team's first year not being coed. The mascot is male, but he's classified as a non-gender.
Gheens knows she has a winning team, however she's cognizant of the challenges ahead. She urges the public to come out and help cheer the girls to victory.
"I'd be happy with fifth place. They'd still get a medal and a plaque," the coach said smiling. Normally, it's the cheerleaders leading the fans, but now, Gheens said, "We need a lot of people there to cheer us on."
Times and dates of the two-day state competitions are still being assigned. Gheens anticipates performing on Nov. 20, but is uncertain because regionals haven't closed yet.
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Mexico High School Varsity Cheerleaders are fired up for the state competitions, scheduled in November.
Earlier this year, the squad captured a first-place win at the Northeast Regional Cheerleading Competition held on the Moberly Area Community College campus. Winning the regionals qualifies them to advance to state competitions, where they will be challenged by squads in the large varsity division. The state championship is set for Nov. 19-20 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia.
The team has had continuous success on the regional level, always taking first. State competitions, according to coach Susan Gheens, are more difficult because they are competing against larger schools from across the state, not just the schools in their region. The large squads, Gheens said, can make bigger pyramids to increase their score, while the smaller squads tend to focus more on jumps. In 2009, MHS took fifth-place state honors.
This year, the MHS squad is made up of 15 people, including the mascot – making them one of the smallest teams in the state division.
"I'd love for them to win state, but it's going to be tough with top competition," Gheens noted. "Size can sometimes limit what stunts they can do.
"If they do make it, it means they worked extremely hard ... it's an extremely difficult competition."
In addition to cheering for this season's football team, the squad practices two times a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, trying to perfect their routines as much as possible. They intend to perform the same routine that won them regional recognition. Last week, they were working on pyramids and tosses.
Squad Captain Courtney Baker – the only senior on the team – was part of last year's team, but didn't get to compete due to injuries. This year's competition, she said, is her last chance for a first-place state win.
"It's really kind of bittersweet; I'm really sad because this will be the last time for me, but I'm excited too, because we have a really good squad this year," Baker said. Most of the choreography in MHS's routines are done by Baker, who sports a 10-year cheering record. The really tough schools to beat, she said, are Sikeston and Grain Valley, the two schools that traditionally win the state competitions.
The state cheerleading competitions are sponsored by the Missouri Cheerleading Coach-es Association, and offer opportunities for cheerleaders to be sighted by college scouts, and to showcase their skills.
Coach Gheens says she's amazed at how motivated this year's girls are about the squad. There were several returning from last year, a large number of freshmen, and several that came up from the JV squad. This is the team's first year not being coed. The mascot is male, but he's classified as a non-gender.
Gheens knows she has a winning team, however she's cognizant of the challenges ahead. She urges the public to come out and help cheer the girls to victory.
"I'd be happy with fifth place. They'd still get a medal and a plaque," the coach said smiling. Normally, it's the cheerleaders leading the fans, but now, Gheens said, "We need a lot of people there to cheer us on."
Times and dates of the two-day state competitions are still being assigned. Gheens anticipates performing on Nov. 20, but is uncertain because regionals haven't closed yet.
