The SCHS cheer team won first place at the Stephen F. Austin competition on Dec 18.
Competition day began with an early morning commute to Stephen F. Austin after cheering in the state football game in Dallas. Despite being exhausted and running on a few hours of sleep, the team had to quickly switch gears to competition mode.
“We were all running on fumes from having just cheered at our state championship football game in Dallas mere hours before,” junior cheerleader May Hightower said. “We were tired but excited.”
Despite the long night before, the girls were determined to push through and do their best. Everyone had the same goal for the competition.
“I asked the girls to give me their best 3 minutes of the meet, then they could rest for the remainder of winter break,” head coach Crystal Livingston said. “That’s exactly what they did.”
The girls have a lot on their plate while they are performing. They have to yell, stay in formation, and tumble to perfection.
“My brain had to stay focused on what part of the routine I’m currently in while yelling as loud as I can,” Hightower said. “While also keeping my flyer safely in the air.”
Coach Schneider created the choreography for the routine. She spent months breaking down each part of the routine and perfecting the execution of each motion. The girls did their part by working hard at each practice.
“I was hoping that everyone would do their job and we would get to take home the gold,” senior cheerleader Kathryn Barrett said. “I’m very excited that we did it.”
The team focused on engaging the audience through the entire performance. This was one of the main aspects that earned them first place.
“I was impressed by how well they were leading the crowd,” Livingston said. “A majority of the audience was cheering right along with them. The energy was great.”
This is the first time in school history that the cheer team has come in 1st. So many core memories and experiences were created.
“By far my favorite part was the looks on the faces of the parents and other cheer teams after they watched us compete,” Hightower said. “They were absolutely amazing and in shock at how talented our team is.”
