Anxiously awaiting the results of prelims, the cheerleaders sat together in the hotel room talking about their performance at the state competition that day. A call finally arrived and the room erupted with screams. The team had reached the finals.

The team placed third overall in the chant cheer category, fifth overall in prelims, and 15th overall in finals. The cheerleaders put in many hours of hard work and determination to find success in the most important three minutes of the season. 

“Even though it’s like super nerve wracking,” sophomore Annaliese Lowrey said, “it’s also really fun because it’s not something you get to experience every day.”

The night before finals, the team continued a special tradition called “pennies,” where each person talks about a different moment of the season.

“As a coach the most fulfilling [moment for me] was the night before we competed ‘pennies,’” coach Matison Burke said. “It’s a special time that we spend together as a team.” 

It was after the final performance, however, when the cheerleaders were finally able to relax and process everything they had really accomplished this season. 

“We knew we just left everything we had on the floor,” junior Addie Colescott said, “and then my mom came up to me crying and so then I started crying then everyone else was crying and it was just one of those moments you don’t get very often.”