While the Haines High School boys made headlines on the
court, the girls’ cheerleading squad also was scoring points, winning first place in
a division against six larger schools at the state cheerleading competition last week.
The girls also earned three awards at a private, statewide competition,
bringing home team awards that included two large trophies and a plaque.
Haines won the medium, non-coed division for mounting squads at the
2008 March Madness at State Cheerleading Competition in Anchorage, topping Lathrop,
Service, Wasilla, Grace Christian, Bartlett and Chugiak.
Haines competed in the most crowded division of the competition, said
coach Teri Podsiki. Teams compete in separate divisions, based on squad size, gender and
use of gymnastics. Twenty-six cheer squads competed. Dimond High School was named grand
champion. Overall rankings have not been released.
Haines placed sixth overall last year after winning the large, co-ed
cheer division.
Podsiki said she didn’t expect her team to win this year against
larger schools with flashier routines. "Our mouths dropped when we watched some of
these teams, especially ones in our category. I never even thought (winning) was a
possibility."
But cheerleading judging weighs more heavily for style than for degree
of difficulty, Podsiki said. That gave Haines the edge over squads with stunts like back
flips. "Our routine was obviously cleaner. It doesn’t matter if you can do a lot
of gymnastic stuff, if it doesn’t come off clean."
Haines got a boost by competing in the second Top of the World
cheerleading competition in Anchorage a few days before state, a smaller tournament
featuring non-school squads. Haines also won its division there, beating Wasilla in a
two-team competition, but scored low in tumbling, prompting a visit to an Anchorage
cheerleading coach, who helped them with that aspect.
The squad’s tumbling score more than quadrupled at state, where
difficult sections of the routine were made more deliberately, with cheerleaders staying
in formation and facing the judges. "One of the things they’re looking for are
clean transitions – not a lot of girls running across the floor," Podsiki said.
Another inspiration for the girls was learning just before the
competition that the squad had tied for second place with Metlakatla at the recent
Southeast cheerleading championship, behind Petersburg. A scoring snafu at that
competition had resulted in undetermined final standings.
At the Top of the World, the squad’s dance team placed first by
topping Wasilla, the only other competitor in the division, and senior Kelsi Gloyer also
won a first-place in individual dance against a Wasilla competitor. Gloyer performed a
dance she choreographed herself.
Dance was exhibition-only at the state competition.
Goals for the coming year include improving tumbling in order to
perform a broader variety of stunts, and recruiting new members. The team will lose six
seniors to graduation.
Team members Gloyer, Renae Minor, Tiffany Murphy, Jordan Piper and
Elizabeth Bauer stayed in Anchorage after the cheerleading competitions to cheer the
Haines boys on to their state championship. Gloyer, Minor and Murphy were named,
respectively, cheerleaders of the game for the Bears for the three Haines games in the
tournament.
The team will hold a family night, with videos of performances, in
coming weeks.
