Weiser cheer squad competes at State

by Nicole Miller

 The Weiser cheerleaders ended their short but exciting competition season with the State Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 12 at the Ford Idaho Center. The squad earned several awards for their performances in three events including first place All Girl Show Cheer, Academic State Champions, and third place overall-state championship. 

 The first competition was pom routine which is a one minute dance with changing formations and pom passes. The judges praised the Wolverines for sharp arm movements and energy. The competition was fierce, however, and the Wolverines earned third place in this event behind Sugar Salem and American Falls. 

 American Falls and Sugar Salem were clearly once again Weiser’s biggest all-around competition, but as both those teams competed as co-ed teams, show cheer is usually Weiser’s best event, with the team having won first place for the last several years in the all girl division. Weiser proved themselves the top all-girl squad in the state as they received high points from the judges for energy, difficulty of stunting, and the cheer within the show routine. 

 The final routine of the day was the sideline competition. Weiser earned good comments from the judges once again for the energy and crowd involvement, earning fourth place in this final event, but by only a few points behind American Falls, Sugar Salem and Snake River who took the top three spots in the event respectively.

 Although Weiser put three solid routines on the mat and felt like they nailed it, at the end of the day, Weiser had no idea how the results would all play out. Sugar-Salem, American Falls had also both put three solid routines on the floor, and it was impossible to tell what the judges would like. In addition to American Falls, and Sugar Salem, South Fremont had also brought some tough competition to the all-girl show cheer division. 

 “This was some of the tightest competition we’ve seen at the state level,” Cheer Coach Nicole Ramirez said. “This squad has come a long way since the beginning of the season and I couldn’t be more proud. These girls did awesome.”

 The winner for the all-around state championship is determined through a placement system, similar to track and field, for each first place win, the team earns 10 points, while for each second place spot the team earns eight points, and for each third place position, the team earns six points. 

 Weiser earned six points for their third place in pom and 10 for their first place in all-girl show cheer. Sugar Salem took first in pom and co-ed show cheer, making the Diggers the all around grand champion. American Falls earned first place in sideline, and second in both pom and co-ed show cheer. Even comparing overall total scores without the point system, only seven points separated the top three teams. 

 Ramirez shared that the success of the Wolverines would not have been possible without the support of the dedicated parents and community. Several of the local businesses and parents worked together to give the Wolverines a wonderful state send-off package and Weiser had a huge show of support in the stands at the competition. Ramirez also shared that she and the whole team are grateful for the leadership of the seniors as well as the mentorship of former coach, Jennifer Weldon who has continued to work with the team to prepare for competition. 

 “It really means a lot to see all the family and friends in the stands. It makes a lot of difference, and the support has been there all season, and we could not do it without the amazing parents,” Ramirez

 The parental support also shows in the fact that in addition to their top three finish, the cheerleaders also perform in the classroom. These student athletes were rewarded for their hard work with the prestigious academic state championship award having the highest cumulative GPA among all the 3A squads.