Earlier this month, North Allegheny’s Varsity Competition Cheer team competed at this year’s state competition in Jamestown, PA. Competition days are always very busy, and this year, to add to the mix, these athletes were required to attend half of a school day before driving hours to the competition day of.
“Competition days can be extremely exhausting and busy,” said Head Coach Kaylee Kenz. This year, the competition is held in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and we are driving there the day of the event.”
After arriving, the team headed to warm-ups, which were split into sections where the team had only a certain amount of time on each mat to prepare their routine before performing in front of a strict panel of judges.
“A strong warm-up can set the tone for a great performance, while a rough one presents challenges,” said Assistant Coach Kacie Vouno. “As coaches, we must make quick and important decisions to ensure a clean routine, but still one that will impress judges. ”
And this isn’t the first time the team has seen many of these judges before. To advance to the state tournament, these girls secured a bid at WPIALs, where they competed against teams at varying skill levels.
“We watch the teams in our division to try to predict where placements might land, usually assuming the worst and hoping for the best,” Vouno added. “Judging is completely subjective, and some deductions aren’t always obvious, which is what makes competition day so exciting and full of anticipation.”
As one of the biggest competitions for this team, preparation started months in advance.
“Preparing for states truly starts all the way back in the summer when we have routine choreography,” Kenz said. “We do our best to set up our routine to score well enough at our district competition so we earn a bid to States.”
This year, it seems their hard work paid off, as after their performance Friday evening, they made it straight to finals the next day as one of six teams to do so.
“Making it straight to finals felt amazing,” Captain Mallory Kim said. “Last year, we made it to semis and didn’t quite make it, but this year felt so refreshing.”
After performing Saturday, however, the girls were uncertain how they would place.
“Earning our place as top 6 and eventually climbing our way up to 4th is truly a feeling like no other,” Kim added.
