Starkville High and Junior High cheer teams to compete in nationals
The junior high cheer team will be competing in nationals for the first time, high school will compete for the first time in 25 years.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Starkville cheerleaders have a lot to look forward to this week.
The Starkville High School Cheer Team is going to nationals for the first time in 25 years.
The Starkville Junior High School Cheer Team is going to nationals for the first time in its history.
Usually, pep rallies are meant to fire up students for upcoming games.
But this one puts the cheerleaders front and center as the junior high cheer team departs for nationals.
Cathryn Ryder, a Junior High School cheerleader said it’s exciting to go to nationals.
“It’s just great to be able to get to go with the people that I’m really close with and I love a lot,” Ryder said. “And we’re just really excited.”
The team, made up of 7th and 8th graders, is one of 30 teams in their division competing.
Cheer Coach Hope Dumas said this is a massive success that she hopes will have a lasting impact on members.
“Setting a goal and making a plan to reach that goal, you can be successful in anything that you do,” Dumas said.
One cheerleader, Izzy Villarroel said one thing she’s learned from cheer is enduring through hardship.
“Perseverance and determination. Because no matter how hard the routine, or no matter how hard you’re feeling, you need to push through,” Villarroel said.
Ryder said a major lesson for her is the importance of team support.
“Everything that we’ve done this year has been a lesson,” Ryder said. “From building each other up, to just the bad days that we’ve had at practice, but we still support each other through it.”
Villarroel said the heart of the team is about being there for each other.
“It definitely feels like I’m on top of the world,” Villarroel said. “It just shows that they’re always there for me, that we’ve got each other’s back, and that we’ll support each other no matter what.”
Ryder said the support from the pep rally is energizing.
“It’s so much fun just to hear when we go out there and we start our routine,” Ryder said. “Just all the cheers and the support that we get.”
Villarroel said the support shows that Starkville is behind them.
“It shows that we got our Starkville crew in the back, like they’re supporting us,” Villarroel said.
Residents, businesses, and organizations raised more than $30,000 in less than six weeks for the trip.
Dumas said everyone has pitched in to help.
“Everybody has chipped in, done their part and more to make this a success for our girls,” Dumas said.
The national high school and junior high school cheer competitions will be in Orlando Florida.
The preliminary and semi-finals will be Friday and the finals will be Sunday.
